The area had gone eerily quiet with Duke’s abrupt disappearance. The echo from the thunderclap of displaced air grew weaker by the moment. The throng of guards stood at the ready. Their swords, halberds, and bows still pointed to the center of their formation where my nemesis was no longer audaciously standing, as if he might reappear at any moment. Duke had been so… unfazed, unconcerned with it all. The damage inflicted by my enchanted pistol barely registered on his face. In his place, lay only a crumpled, blackened husk of a man. If my guess was on the mark, the fallen person had been a Hunter, though it mattered little as we all stood by mute and unmoving.
An unheeded System message blinked away in the corner of my vision, having been pushed aside unconsciously as Duke had vanished before my eyes. I reoriented on the message, my eyes scanning the information. Well, at least we had been able to glean a modicum of information from our perilous foe.
Duke Xander Marth the Nemesis Hunter, Scourge Titan-Lord (Level 30 MAX Human Hunter)
Health 23,247/24,964. Mana 14,932/17,525. Stamina 8,921/9,800.
Active Abilities – Juggernaut Resolve, Vampiric…
Notice! Inspect interrupted. The target is no longer present, information is terminated.
“Men, stand down,” one soldier called out, breaking the silence. His voice was a rich baritone and held an abundance of self-confidence. Gleaming plate mail encased the man, though he wore no helmet. His long golden locks of hair swayed gently in the afternoon breeze. His men responded immediately, returning their long pikes to a vertical position, swords slamming into sheathes.
Who I assumed was the captain of the guard, or at least a high-ranking officer, approached us. The man’s armor was meticulously maintained, from well-oiled leather straps to the polished shine that generously reflected the sunlight above, here was a person committed to his excellence. An unadorned long sword rested confidently on his hip, and upon his left arm, the man wore an impressive kite shield. He seemed no novice on the battlefield with how he carried himself.
“Hail,” he said. “I am Baracus, Captain of the Guard. I witnessed you engaged with the criminal, Duke the Nemesis Hunter, attempting to prevent his escape. So, while a Hunter yourself, it’s obvious you are not in league with him. Still, I must ask you for your name, good sir.”
“Glad to make your acquaintance, Captain. My name is Xazorus,” I responded, getting the sense the guard captain didn't care for frivolous chatter. So, I matched his demeanor. “This is Stella, my friend and guide.” At the mention of her name, Stella gave a bow and a polite curtsey, her sometimes-flippant attitude absent.
“This is Ripley, my guardian and minion. Finally, my feline companion, Lowki,” I finished, gesturing to each in turn.
Baracus gave a respectful nod to each other as I introduced them. “Thank you for your assistance,” he said, even as his eyes made a quick pass of the area before returning to me. “My guards were unable to bypass the Hunter’s considerable defenses. The man not only slew Hunter Invictus but over a dozen of the city’s finest soldiers.”
“It was only after your timely intervention that some of our bolts and arrows finally reached him, little good it did though,” Barracus finished with a shake of his head.
“I have been hunting Duke for some time,” I said. “Nearing a week now.”
Stella coughed at my side as if clearing her throat, catching our attention. “Near a half tenday, he means,” Stella said, ignoring my puzzled expression. Unsure why she clarified my words, but trusting in her judgment, I pressed forward without comment.
Returning my attention to the captain, I understood why she had clarified my words. I caught the tail end of a perplexed look stretching the captain’s face before changing to one of understanding. “Right, nearly a tenday,” I continued, grateful at Stella’s addition now. Lingo from my life on Earth often bleed into my words, some of which people in this world wouldn’t know.
“Duke attacked my village, allowing wandering monsters a means of entry beyond a protective barrier. He is responsible, in part, for the slaughtering of my family and taking the life of Stella’s…” I paused momentarily, about to say ‘master,’ but the word caught in my throat, tasting foul. That hadn’t been their relationship, Stouter was far more to her.
“…her friend,” I finished.
“Unfortunately, it would seem neither of us will find justice now with Duke’s disappearance,” Baracus said before ordering his men to return to their posts, making sure they would call out an alarm should any sighting of the criminal reappear. Though, it was obvious he didn’t think such an event was likely.
One can never be too careful though, I mused.
“I’ve only heard tales of such portable magic,” the inspirational captain continued. “Allowing instant transportation many leagues in the time it takes you to blink, an impressive piece of magic.”
“I didn’t get a good look at the scroll,” Stella added at my side. “But such spells of teleportation nearly always return the caster to a home settlement.”
I turned to Stella, interested in knowing more. I had been wondering if we could find out where the knave had escaped. “Such spells normally have a range of one, perhaps two, hundred miles,” she continued, a slight wince passing across her canine features at the mention of the distance.
“Meaning he likely will not be returning for some time, if at all,” Barracus said, striking a thoughtful pose before continuing. “It will take some time for us to take stock of all the damage this murderous criminal caused to life and land. I would like to speak with you further, Stella and Xazorus, though I have pressing needs that demand my attention for at least a pair of hours. Would you be willing to return before nightfall? I may have need of your assistance yet again if you are willing?”
“Of course, captain,” I responded with a nod. “I understand you have much to accomplish after such an attack.” Thinking a brief moment, I continued, “In the meanwhile, my friends and I would like to visit a merchant’s area to unload old gear and browse what your city has to offer.”
“Sargent, please see Master Xazorus to the merchant’s quarter,” Baracus said to a nearby man, the soldier stomping a foot in acknowledgement.
“Yes, sir,” the man responded instantly.
“This is Cid, a talented young officer,” Baracus said as he held a gauntleted hand the man’s way. “He will see you to your destination. If you have any other needs, please inquire with him while in his company. I am off to the officer quarters in the main barracks. I will see you soon.”
“Xazorus. Stella,” Baracus turned, several men falling in line behind him as he walked away. Before Cid could point the way, I wanted to inspect the nearby body. A guardsman had placed white linen over the burned body. Walking over, no one protested as I flipped a corner of the sheet. Only ruined and charred clothing was revealed, hinting at the intense heat from whatever spell had been used to end the Hunter’s life.
While I knew from Baracus the body this was the former Hunter named Invictus, nothing about the corpse showed what he had been. No nameplate hovered above the body. Only a response of ‘unrecognizable corpse’ appeared when I inspected it. Resting a palm gently on the body, I willed his inventory open. A jumbled window appeared before my eyes, items listed one after the other as being destroyed or as ‘unknown.’ Duke must have looted everything, leaving nothing of value behind.
I was about to say something to Stella when I noticed a mangled piece of metal nearby. It was the object Duke had crushed when I first spied him. Walking over, I picked it up and attempted to inspect it. Nothing appeared in my vision, though I guessed what it probably had been.
“It’s the slain Hunter’s accelerator,” Stella said as she hovered close to the object, tilting her head side to side as she peered at it. “Well, what’s left of it.”
“He crushed it like it was a piece of junk,” I said coming back to my feet, the shattered metallic pieces in the palm of my hand. “When we defeated those other Hunters, their Accelerators flew over to you to be absorbed. This one didn’t do that. It… didn’t have a chance to.”
“No, it didn’t,” Stella responded, sorrow whispered in her voice. “He destroyed the poor thing. Duke didn’t assimilate any of its power. Unfortunately, with it in this state, it has no value.” Stella's voice quivered, “We don’t even know the poor thing’s name.”
I rested a gentle hand on Stella’s shoulder before she continued, “We have no idea if it’s Hunter was good or evil, like so many are. As an AI, this wonderous creature didn’t deserve what he did to it.”
“Why would he do that?” I asked though I suspected the answer considering the ‘max’ level we spied after inspecting him.
“Probably a mix of him being max level and, you know, he’s a villain,” Stella replied as she closed her eyes. She reorientated on my face, sorrow for the lost life of another Accelerator evident there. “Before you ask, each world has a maximum level. For Prime Worlds, it's thirty, and we have no way of know how long Duke's been at that level. The System has the limit built into the world to encourage Hunters to start looking for ways to ascend.”
I didn’t say anything else, allowing a moment of silence for Stella and her grief. A minute later, I asked Stella, “What would you like for us to do with her?” I had no way of knowing the Accelerator’s gender if it even had one, but memories of Adom calling his Accelerator “Midge” convinced me they did. Though Stella was wholly unique, she clearly did.
Stella flew closer to my hands, resting two paws on the broken shell. She closed her eyes causing a tear to run down her soft face. “I’d like us to bury her somewhere... deserving for my kind. For now, please hold it in your inventory until we find the right spot. Someplace special.”
“Of course,” I said in a gentle voice. As Stella flew to land lightly on my shoulder, I willed the broken soul to my inventory. I turned to Cid, who was waiting patiently nearby, “Can you please see to this man’s final resting place? I don’t know what kind of person he was in life but, in death, everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.”
Cid nodded before walking a short distance away towards two posted guards. Words were exchanged before Cid returned to our side. “It will be done.”
As we followed Cid, walking down a wide paved road which was gradually filling with more people as we strode on. I asked Stella for more information about the spell scroll Duke had used, a mix of emotions, ranging from outrage to relief, waring in my chest. One part of me was furious he was able to escape justice but another side, terrified upon realizing his level and tremendous health pool, was relieved. I doubted we stood any chance against him, not at my present level.
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“I believe it was a rare scroll,” Stella said as she clung to my shoulder. “Quite expensive too. Teleportation magic is either cast via a scroll, as Duke had or through the use of a teleportation circle.”
“Teleportation circles?” I prodded for more information.
“Yeah,” Stella replied. “A means of permanently available teleportation between two points. In this case, settlements. When a city reaches a certain threshold and has upgrades down a specific path, they can be built. It allows instantaneous transportation from one town to another, granted both have been visited by the teleporting party. This mode of transportation is generally not cheap though, as the price is usually set by the city lord. With the necessary funds, anyone can use them, Hunters most of all. The makers of these Universal Games found out early on that their audience didn’t quite appreciate the time investment needed for a renowned Hunter to travel back and forth between two places.”
“Are we able to make use of these? Is there one in Allerton?” I asked. “What kind of prices could we expect?”
“First, you would need to reach a friendly reputation with both settlements,” Stella responded. “Even if you had this, right now you’d only be able to travel back to Merton as it requires you to at least visit both cities connected by the teleportation circle.”
“While we have no idea where Duke may have gone,” I said but quickly added after seeing Stella’s eyes flick up at me as if I had not been listening. “Other than a nearby city, that is. I wouldn’t mind checking in with Natasha every once in a while, to see how they're doing.”
A small smile tugged Stella's cheeks at the mention of Natasha's name. “We can make some inquiries around. Maybe someone also knows where Duke typically likes to hang out,” Stella said as she eyed up the buildings along both sides of the street.
We passed under another of the city’s many iron portcullises, each demarking the edge of another level of the city. Turning down a sprawling pass, the area ahead appeared to be densely populated. Inquiring with Cid about how much longer it would be, he responded, “We’re nearly there, sir.”
Taking in the sights and numerous smells from the bustling city around us, life appeared to return to normal. Though, the wake of Duke’s destruction hadn’t reached this particular area. Butting up against the man city walls, thousands of homes had built countless dwellings and residences, not appearing exactly alike. We caught an exquisite smell on the wind after coming around a bend, coming to what had to be the merchant’s quarter.
Hundreds of shops lined both sides of the twisting road which curved back and forth to maximize the available space. There were stores of every kind, the scent of cooked meat captivating my attention the most.
Cid turned to us before giving a quick salute. “The merchant’s quarter, sir. When you are ready to return to the city’s upper limits, simply inquire with any stationed guard and they will be happy to direct you to the main barracks. You need only mention your upcoming meeting with Guard Captain Baracus.”
“Thank you,” I said to the man. “I appreciate you showing us here.” Cid nodded before heading back the way we had come. My eyes lingered on his back for a moment. The shine of his armor and the sureness of his confident steps failed to hide the optimism of youth his eyes sparkled with.
Returning my attention to the wide bazaar before us, the voices of multiple shopkeepers throughout, each calling out to nearby citizens and visitors alike, reached my ears. Promises of amazing deals and only ‘top quality’ goods to be found past their open doors or under tarps strung over wooden stalls. Taking a deep breath of appreciation, my nose was assaulted by dozens of spices, cooking meat, and yeasty breads. Mixed in was a fair share of incense, premium soaps, and more than one odd odor I couldn’t place.
The entire area was bustling with activity, a pointed contrast from where we had just been. Life was swelling to bursting in the tightly packed area, with thousands of people milling from one shop to another. Friendly voices drifted in the air along with sweet honey, fragrant teas, and coffee shops aplenty. Looking at Stella with a smile, I stepped into the chaos hopeful for what we might find.
“Hah, this may take longer than a couple of hours,” I foresaw.
“Nice,” Stella replied. “I’ll let you know when we’re close to nightfall.”
Up first, per the succulent smell of barbeque wafting out at us, was a store proudly claiming to be “Marv’s Magnificent Meats” per the wooden sign above the shop’s open doorway. A pair of windows hung open, allowing the aromatic smells to attract potential customers. Not long after, we had garnered quite a large supply of salted pork, cooked sausages, and several varieties of cooked meats, along with a significant amount of beef jerky. The generous bites we had already helped ourselves to were wonderful. Whatever the proprietor put in his barbeque was mouth-wateringly good. I doubted I would be eating from a travel ration for a very, very long time.
Marv, the shop owner, had given me quite the quizzical look when I asked her to jar a dozen of her homemade barbeque sauce for us. "It won't last for more than a day under this blazing sun, though," she said, unsure why it would want so much of the stuff."
When I pressed the matter, Marv was still nonetheless happy to earn more of our coin. Telling Marv not to worry, that we would make good use of the lavish substance, I gave a secretive wink to Stella. We both knew one of the important qualities of my bag of holding. Once stored, everything inside was preserved nearly indefinitely. This included enough barbeque sauce to fulfill our needs for weeks, if not months, to come.
Stella, for her part, had thoroughly enjoyed the different meats and delicious delicacies. Even now, she was valiantly licking her paws free of the generous sauce that had been smothering each flavorful bite.
“Happy?” I asked her. With a full belly, she only smiled in response.
We stopped at multiple shops as we made our way through the merchant’s quarter. We were able to get nice deals, according to Stella, as we sold off any old or redundant gear that neither I nor Ripley could make use of.
Seeing a promising storefront, we entered an enchanted arms and armor store called ‘Venin’s Arms’ which had me positively excited. Venin’s Arms was a single-story brick-and-mortar building with countless shelves displaying all manner of equipment, the hint of coal hanging in the air throughout the shop. Stella explained the storeowner likely had a forge in the back room when I sniffed at the air, trying to discern where it was coming from.
As we approached the counter, a flamboyant man greeted us, his arms and face darkened with odd patches of soot. He was surrounded by a multitude of goods, ranging from broadswords to punch daggers, even a few notable shields. Venin was well-muscled, obviously from countless hours swinging a hammer. His clothing completed the look, a thickly leathered smock wrapping around his waist, covered in numerous scratches and marks from his profession.
“Good day, friends,” Venin greeted us with a smile, a quick nod of his brow, and a lightly clenched fist. The movement looked as if congratulating us for making a wise decision. “Glad you’ve chosen to appreciate my fine wares. How may I be of service?”
What followed was a friendly back-and-forth banter between Stella, me, and the shopkeep. It was clear the man appreciated the haggle of a sale almost as much as he appreciated his wares. The man clearly had more experience in such a negotiation as the substantial prices he first advised only ferried slightly lower than the initial asking price. It was all in good fun and heightened the experience. I thoroughly enjoyed our time in the man’s store.
“We’ll be back,” I said confidently to Stella as we exited the store sometime later, my hands holding our newest acquisition. “The next time, we’ll be the victorious ones… for sure.”
Stella chuckled, replying with an amused, “Uh huh.”
Ignoring her, I inspected Ripley’s new shield. The impressive item would match well along with the enchanted curved blade hanging on her hip. When her devastating great sword wasn’t the right tool for the job, the ‘sword and board’ combo would allow her to be far more defensive.
{Phalanx Heater Shield of the Defender}. A shield that protects its wearer from attacks, providing ample protection while also allowing little room for foes to strike around. Quality: Well-crafted. Rarity: Rare. Type: Shield. Slot: Secondary. Durability 1,000/1,000. Armor: 40. Effect(s): Plus 100% armor while stationary, and plus 5 Constitution.
The shield, per the shop keep, was made from a mixture of tungsten and high-carbon steel. Venin explained normally such a combination would not strengthen the metal beyond what tungsten innately carried but, through the enchantment process by a friend of his allowed the magical shield to have heightened properties. The enchanter remained nameless, regardless of my several unsuccessful attempts to learn it.
The tall shield was an inch thick and felt extremely durable, especially if your feet were firmly planted beneath you, courtesy of its enchantment. Yet, the shield was far lighter than I would have otherwise expected. Emblazoned on its front was a blazing sun with rearing stallion. In all, we paid nearly thirty gold for the item. A hefty price even considering some of the store credit we had earned selling off some old gear. Still, it seemed fair considering the ample upgrade it would have on Ripley’s ability to defend herself.
Ripley received a few other upgrades to her gearset, though none as nice as the shield now affixed to her back. She got a slightly enchanted skullcap, a similar cloak to the one she already had though this one was mat black, and finally a pair of wrist guards. All added to her growing defensive stats. I didn’t quite like the look of a skullcap atop her dark skull, but upgrades were upgrades. At least, that’s what I told Stella.
Stella, hoping for the best, asked if Venin had anything Lowki could wear. He looked at her, then to Lowki, his expression a perfection of utter disbelief. Stella tried to plead with her eyes, but the merchant wouldn’t budge from the absurdity of her question. “Fine,” Stella finally relented. Though, shortly thereafter, to Lowki alone, I overheard her whisper, “Sorry, maybe another shop will have something.” I only chuckled.
Exchanging friendly farewells with Venin, promising we would stop by whenever we were in town, we stepped back out into the mass of people. The throng was thinning somewhat, as nightfall was perhaps an hour away. Still, if I read the merchant’s quarter correctly, vendors and vibrant salesmen would continue trying to snare at least one more customer before the moon sat shining in the night sky.
We hurried our pace, stopping along a few storefronts that looked promising, picking up a few odds and ends before finding what I was most looking forward to. Before us, as I stood proudly with hands on my hips, was a wizard’s shop called ‘Arcanum Artifacts,’ The store’s entrance was draped in a heavy fabric which I took as unusual. Along with the shuttered windows, whereas every other store hung open to allow smells and sights to flow out, it was an oddity. What I failed to notice was nearly everyone walking nearby gave the place a wide berth, as if they might catch something if they ventured too close. My optimism of finding new spells though placed invisible blinders on my face, tunneling my vision.
Pushing the thick fabric aside, I was immediately assaulted with a discordance of warring smells and aromas. Incense from a dozen sources, what had to be hundreds of candles of all sizes, and innumerable diffusers filled with multifarious essential oils all had me blinking away sudden tears. Such was the overwhelming impact; I was sure it was similar to being struck with pepper spray. Even Stella was vainly swiping at the air, her paws ineffectual in dispersing the pungent odors. I was about to ask Stella why someone would think it a good idea to offend potential customers when a haggard voice called out to us in greeting. Had it not been for the promise of new spells, I would have already stormed right back out past the deceitful drop cloth as if the inanimate textile had personally decided to conceal the horrendous fragrances from the public.
Hoping my senses would dull over time, unlikely, I squinted past the haze of smoke to the plump woman leaning behind a counter. She was far past her prime, her weathered and wrinkled skin matching the quality of her voice. What transpired next, which I did my utmost to banish to the deepest recesses of my mind a half hour later, had my skin crawling. The owner, who demanded I call her Mistress Minx, which I obviously declined, had me grimacing the entire time. At one point, I went as far as surreptitiously sending a private message to Stella, downright begging her to take the lead in the conversation. I wanted nothing to do with the voracious hag. She had a peculiar habit of calling me “honey,” and Stella “darling” in an unpleasantly sultry tone which grated on my nerves.
Even as we were speeding away down the tight boulevard, I couldn’t help but shake my head and jerk my body spasmodically as if dispelling spiders and cobwebs alike. Stella seemed to have no end with her jabs and snide comments as we sought a guard post to help point us the way to the city barracks. “Now see, she was a nice and upstanding lady. I can’t imagine why you didn’t find her attractive, Xaz,” she said as I continued to fail at shuddering away the phantom remnants clinging to my consciousness.
She wouldn’t drop it until I threatened to withhold her favorite barbeque sauce from that point forward. “You wouldn’t dare,” she replied curtly, confirming just how precious the delicious relish was. When I didn’t respond, staring straight ahead, Stella huffed loudly but thankfully didn’t mention Minx again.
In the end, though, our stop at the Arcanum had been worth it.
You have received: Spell Tome of Lesser Poison Breath.
You have received: Spell Tome of Lesser Ignite Bones.
You have received: Spell Tome of Lesser Renew Bones.
I promised myself though, that if there was ever a next time with Arcanum Artifacts, Stella would most definitely be going in alone.