November 8th
Monster hunting? So I am not the only one… I would suspect he has been at this for a much longer time than I, he has clearly made a name for himself. If others know about the existence of monsters, must I really continue to enforce the secrecy I have been maintaining up until now? Should I not seek to accelerate the rate of my discoveries? I know monsters are not common knowledge, however, as so very few people know such beasts exist.
I can use him. In exchange for helping me capture the monsters I have been dealing with for the past few weeks, I will supply him with the fire fox.
November 8th
It went better than I expected. I proposed that he assist me in capturing several creatures and offered him the fire fox in return for his help, and he agreed. Griffin seemed confused when I merely wanted to capture the monsters and not kill them immediately, but he still agreed to the deal nonetheless. He will be staying at the manor as I do not want to waste valuable time each morning traveling to meet up because I want to capture the octopus monster as soon as possible. That monster will, of course, be our first target. We spent most of the rest of the day discussing all I knew about it, as well as many of the other monsters I had encountered.
When I described the appearance of the octopus monster, Griffin’s already stormy eyes seemed to take on the appearance of a vicious thunderstorm.
We began planning out what action we should take to hunt it down. Griffin also wished to inspect my equipment. I showed him the armored gauntlets I had made as well as my knife. Griffin expressed satisfaction with the knife then pulled a revolver from his belt and placed it in my hands.
“There will come a time when you need to use this to save your life, you will be grateful to have it.” he told me.
Ridiculous. I doubt I will ever need to use it.
Today has been very busy for me and I cannot wait to get some rest.
November 9th
How are we supposed to find the octopus monster? I have just been running into it occasionally over the past month, I cannot rely on luck to find it once more. It could take weeks to find it again, and I do not know if Griffin will leave at any time and search for the fire fox on his own.
Griffin has suggested that we make a map to track its appearances. If that produces any decent results, I will be surprised, but I suppose we have no other options.
November 9th
I drew up the map and then Griffin and I argued about the map for several minutes. I noticed a pattern in the dots almost immediately, and eventually Griffin agreed to look where I predicted we should, instead of re-examining each place I had found it before. We leave in about twenty minutes, I must prepare.
November 9th
Well that was a failure. Taking into account the time of day as well as the environment and the previous pattern of appearance, I was certain it would be around there somewhere, but after nearly 2 hours of waiting, we had yet to see it. Griffin and I agreed to call it and began returning to the manor. Maybe about halfway to the manor, Griffin suggested we split up, which we did. He went to investigate the location where the old man had claimed to see the monster, as well as some other places where I had seen it. He ran back to the manor to get his horse while I went towards Lake Eleanor to think.
What was I thinking? That was obviously not going to work! I have been comparing it to the time of the day as my watch tells me. How would a monster have any way of telling time, or even comprehending the concept of time? No, it would follow the pattern of the sun’s position in the sky instead. I think I know where it may be! I will tell Griffin when we regroup later.
November 9th
Griffin had quite a tale for me when we met up back at the manor. The sun had already set by the time he returned, and he seemed quieter than usual. I asked him to tell me what happened, which I will write out below in its entirety:
“After I got my horse from the manor, I proceeded to ride into town. I went to the house you had described to me as belonging to the old man that had seen the monster. After brief deliberation, I instead chose to talk to the young woman who lived next door. I felt it would be more likely she would be able to answer the door and guide me to the precise location I needed, and was therefore a better choice than the elderly man you had talked to.
“When I knocked on the door, a man allowed me entry to talk to her after I explained my purpose for being there. He then introduced himself as Doctor Quincy Ernhart, the suitor of Miss Elizabeth Gransberry. He had just finished a check-up on his future father-in-law and, upon hearing on whose behalf I was there, offered to take me himself.
“We then set off at a quick pace, as the sun was beginning to descend towards the horizon, and before long had arrived at the location. I dismounted and searched through the underbrush and behind trees. Dr. Ernhart’s breath was creating puffs in the cold air, and after several minutes, I told him I would take him back to town. He told me he would be fine on his own, but I advised him to not travel alone close to sunset and after dark, and he graciously accepted my offer to accompany him at least most of the way.
“When we were travelling back, he felt as if there were eyes upon the back of his neck, and he whirled around to stare behind him. I looked into the forest, scanning back and forth but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Dr. Ernhart and I returned to the house without incident and I turned around to go back to the scene.
“It was on my way back, however, that I encountered a strange beast. As I approached a bend in the road, perhaps no closer than 200 feet from it, I noticed the sensation of being watched. I could feel the distinct tingling running down my neck, the hair standing on end, and crucially, the hair just behind my ears was standing. That hair only stands when there are monsters nearby.
“I felt the air cool around me, and the light from the sunset faded. Darkness was encroaching upon me, enveloping me, as if attempting to smother me, and blot out all life. And then I saw it ahead of me. Two red dots, twinkling like stars, only bigger.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
“I knew instinctively that it should be avoided, but it was ahead of me. In between the way back to the manor and the place I wanted to investigate. I made the decision to simply go straight back to the manor, but first I would have to pass the beast.
“My horse stopped, too scared to move. I could feel her shaking underneath me, so I calmed her with several pats and soft words while I looked out at the dots. The dots were glowing a deep red, almost akin to blood. The only light all around me seemed to be coming from those eyes.
“Making a decision, I unsung my rifle from my back and held it out ahead of me. I spurred my horse forward, encouraging her towards greater and greater speed. The trees flew by me on either side as I raced down the road towards the eyes. I heard a deep, rumbling growl and the eyes started moving towards me. As I approached the curve of the road, I fired directly towards the beast and I saw it fall. I flashed past it at incredible speed and, as I passed the bend, looked back to see the creature stand back up and take several steps after me before falling again. As it disappeared around the curve of the road, I saw it rise but not move. The light was returning all around me and I could see it for what it truly was, a great wolf, likely bigger than a bear, and easily twice as deadly.”
That is certainly an interesting story that Griffin told me. I think I may have heard that monster howling at night before, and I wonder if the octopus monster had been fighting with the wolf monster, as it is possible that that was what caused its arm to be ripped off. Griffin and I discussed the wolf monster and went over what it was able to do again. Its presence resulted in abnormal change in temperature, abnormal behavior of light, and Griffin also reported a strange humming in his ears, which may mean auditory manipulation. This is in the realm of the supernatural, although that is not exactly new, the fire fox is a good example. For the meantime, I wish to focus on the octopus monster, I want to capture it before it gets into another fight with the wolf monster, and that monster has been my primary motivation for the past several weeks.
November 10th
Last night, after discussing the new monster with Griffin, we once again returned to talking about the octopus monster. I told him my plan and he agreed to look today. Unfortunately, we didn’t find it, however we did find some slime and broken branches. It had been there earlier. Did we perhaps arrive too late? Maybe it had been there last night.
After failing to find the monster today, Griffin and I returned to the manor where we began to discuss how to restrain it. Griffin has settled on driving spikes through its limbs in order to tie it up, as due to the slime, it would likely be able to slip out of the rope. I do like that idea, however it has the caveat of us needing to immobilize it in the first place to be able to impale it. I think perhaps the solution may be to throw a net over it. Griffin agreed and we spent some time preparing everything for tomorrow.
November 11th
Today was a failure again. This time we went to multiple spots to attempt to find it, but none of those spots were right. What could it be? This time there was no trace of it but yesterday there was. What made that location different? Surely I must have missed something. I feel as if we are closing in on it, and yet it is still evading us. This is infuriating.
After we returned to the manor, Griffin went out to the spot had visited two days ago, and after several hours, returned to the manor and went to bed. I wonder what he found…
November 12th
Griffin and I reexamined the spot where we found traces of the octopus monster two days ago. We set a large search radius and spent most of the day combing over the terrain. We did not find the monster, although that would have been highly unlikely to happen anyway.
I think there was something different about that spot, but I could not quite figure out what it was. I suppose it must have been something about the landscape… What could it be? It almost feels as if something is poking the back of my mind.
Griffin has suggested another place to look. He has also insisted on leading the search tomorrow, which I have agreed with. It is a shame that today was a waste, but hopefully tomorrow will be better.
November 13th
Oh where to begin… Griffin insisted on leaving early in the morning. So early that the sun had not even risen at that time. We have done nothing but sit in front of a cave for at least two hours. We are not even sitting near each other, Griffin is across the cave entrance from me. I am huddling under a tree right now. It is cold, it is wet, it is currently raining, and I am really bloody miserable. What is the purpose of just sitting here in the rain for hours? We didn’t find it yesterday, we didn’t find it the day before, why would today be any different? Why not take the day off? I could be spending today at home reading a book while listening to the rain pound against the windows instead of against my back while I desperately shield my journal from this atrocious downpour.
It is my birthday damn it! I should not be spending it out here. My 24th birthday should be spent at home. Maryanne would cook me a fantastic breakfast and I would spend the morning sleeping in.
As the time passes and I get colder and more tired, I cannot help but think about Father. I wish I spent more time with him. Why did he leave? And so soon, too. He was here for barely even a month before he left and why? Why did he even come back? I know he said he wanted to spend more time with me, I know he “wanted to see his boy”, but he spent so little time with me. He spent a lot of time with Maryanne or with Archibold and seemed to have little time for me. So little time for his “beloved child”. But why? Did I really mean so much to him, or did I really mean so little? Maybe if I had spent more time with him I could have gotten an honest answer. Why wasn’t he honest with me? Does he not trust me? He is a dreadful old man but I miss him. I miss him desperately.
When will I be able to see Father again? Will it be another year? Another five? I have no clue where he went, I would have to wait for him to come find
Heaven’s to Betsy! I actually captured it! I do not believe it!
While I was writing away, I heard a twig snap. Griffin and I both looked up and locked eyes. He briefly nodded, then froze. As I watched, the monster stumbled out of the cave, stepping slowly through the sticks and rocks that we had placed in the entrance. As it moved, I heard creaking and scraping, as of branches moving in the wind and rocks rubbing against one another. Tentacles hung like tendrils from its body, swinging loosely. I could smell the distinct stench of rotting flesh. The monster paused and looked around. I could tell it was staring right at Griffin.
Suddenly something came over me and I stood up and yelled. The monster emitted a loud shriek as it whirled around and began to take great lumbering steps toward me, shambling across the ground with deceptive speed.
As soon as the monster turned its back on Griffin, he shot up and sliced off its head with his sword. Once the head was detached, the body… fell apart. The head was still shrieking and writhing, and I could see where its neck should have been, but it did not have a neck, instead I saw the severed stumps of dozens of tentacles.
The body, which as I said, fell apart, was made up of tentacles, and after we had scooped up the head into a bag, we began to examine the “body”. We unraveled the tentacles and saw a rudimentary skeletal system made up of sticks and bones from other animals. We saw pieces of metal, antlers, even the occasional claw sticking out of various parts of the mass of flesh. Those had been the spikes I had seen before. It seems that the tentacles were twisting around the objects to form rudimentary limbs, using objects strong enough to bear the brunt of its weight.
Griffin and I picked up as much of it as we could carry to take back to the manor and then set off. The bag with the head kept shaking though and I could still hear the occasional roar or shriek coming from it, so after a few minutes, we stopped and I struck the bag several times until I was able to silence the beast’s head.
November 13th
The daylight began to wane, seemingly earlier than usual by the time we began to get close to the manor. I suppose we had stayed there longer than I thought. It does not matter, I suppose, as we got the monster anyway. We have accomplished what I wanted to, so now hopefully I can get Griffin to help me with the other monsters we have encountered.
Once we got back to the manor, we deposited the creature’s head into an iron cage in my laboratory and laid out the limbs/ tentacles on the table. In total, there were maybe 30 pieces. Some were longer than others, and there were a few that were very short, no longer than perhaps a foot and a half.
I think I will turn in a little earlier tonight. Griffin and I have quite a task ahead of us as we attempt to piece the creature back together. After we celebrate my birthday, of course.