Chapter 26 | The Hunt 1
~~*~~
At the turn of the week, there was always a meeting with all the officials in Riverside which included people from both the Vultian Empire and Free Association. The one leading this round table meeting was Imperial Commander Dustin Rayeth, a distant cousin of the Emperor. He came to Riverside over a year ago with a small garrison. They now occupied the fort facing the Elven Forest on the edge of the New District. Technically, his words were law in Riverside as he represented the Empire that ruled over them. However, he noticed his power being usurped by the Association.
The Empire was never welcomed in Riverside and this town had a history of cooperation with the elves. The townsfolk started to use the Association Pent instead of Imperial coinage, the town militia was openly defiant, and the town leaders were all affiliated with the Association Guilds.
Merchant Lord Benas Alton was the main problem. He refused to supply his army so they wouldn’t be able to integrate into the town properly. Because of these reasons, his army was being treated like an occupying force instead of their protectors. They had to stay in the barracks and found it difficult to find any vendor who would serve them or accept their Imperial coins.
However, recent events had made his presence a necessity. The Emperor told Dustin to stay in Riverside in case of an insurrection and to defend the border. In the past few months, monster activity and the number of elves seeking refuge in Riverside had increased. Encounters with bandit groups were also on the rise.
These factors could spell disaster for a trading community but Dustin’s men helped keep the highways open and safe along with the militia. The key to a town’s economic success was the stability of trade. Relations with the Riverside citizens seemed to be finally opening and this increased cooperation was needed to protect the town from a dangerous threat: The Devil Slime.
It was last seen many weeks ago yet the number of monsters in the area hadn’t decreased. This must’ve meant that the Dungeon Master had established its dungeon somewhere which made this matter far more urgent.
The Empire failed three times to kill the slime in their encounters with it. It killed nearly all who’d seen it. The last encounter had the Dungeon Master terraform and trap the Imperial soldiers in a large bath of acid. The sole survivor provided a great amount of detail on the slime’s behavior and the threat presented by it.
This Dungeon Master was intelligent and had many abilities involving its slime. It could shapeshift, even to a human. It was only born for a few months and was already so powerful. It became clear that its only weakness was holy magic, the broad solution for all monsters. The Association was best equipped given they had many mages who could use holy magic.
However, Dustin was stubborn and wanted a fourth encounter with men under his command. His soldiers were better trained than the whole lot, and together with the new intelligence would make the hunt easier. But this was if they could find it.
The group who first discovered the Devil Slime at the Coren Hill mine outside Viennera was a skilled group of freelancers with familial ties to the Empire nobility. Their skill and reputation preceded them as they were able to construct a tracking spell from observing the slime in only a single engagement. The reason for the monster tracker not working was certainly not a case of shoddy circle formulation.
He could eliminate its dungeon for being the reason the tracking spell didn’t work because a dungeon took months or years to construct the means to hide. The signal disappeared suddenly which meant the Dungeon Master found a way to mask its signal. Dustin wasn’t a fool to be outsmarted by a monster.
The meeting was about to start. Those in attendance were the mayor and his ministers, Captain Louis and his lieutenants, various businessmen, and Samuel.
Mercenaries employed by the Association through commissions lived in a legal loophole which made them their unofficial military force. Samuel and Tasha could attend these meetings because of Samuel’s rank. He could leave these responsibilities to the next person down the rank but he promised Alisha to keep her informed about the hunt.
“Ten weeks and this was all we could accomplish? Your Merchant Lord’s son and daughter were attacked and here you are, twiddling your thumbs,” Commander Dustin demanded an answer from the Militia Captain. No one believed the Reinold or Yuli when they said the Devil Slime wasn’t responsible for the attack. The higher-ups subscribed to the same opinion.
“I’m sorry to disappoint you but we cannot fully participate in this hunt without leaving Riverside vulnerable,” Captain Louis countered.
“We are spread too thin. Perhaps it’s time to finally allow the freelancers a chance. Lieutenant Samuel, what is your opinion on a commission to the Association?”
“Posting a commission could lead to casualties among the freelancers,” Samuel said. “Without a proper way to track the Devil Slime, I cannot advise to that action.”
“Agreed. I do have intelligence that the Devil Slime is still within the area around Riverside. That is more than enough for commission.”
Samuel was surprised by this news but tried not to sound that way in his voice, “What is the intel you gathered?”
“A few of the Dungeon Master detectors went off.”
Samuel told Alisha how to avoid those detectors, did Dustin place a few more in different locations and never told the council? That was the most likely conclusion given how careful Alisha was.
Louis spoke, “If we know the Devil Slime is in the area, how about we set more traps in the area?”
“You can be in charge of that,” said Dustin.
“I can pull together some volunteers immediately.”
Commander Dustin wasn’t to be taken lightly. The detectors were scattered around Riverside and were set to record the times of encounters. Using the detections, Dustin found the Dungeon Master going to and from Riverside as well as avoiding detectors he told others about but not the ones he kept secret.
Samuel and Alisha had to be extra cautious now.
***
“Do you really think I have trouble asking for help?” Yuli said, looking down with tears in her eyes.
“Yes!” Elise and Alisha said simultaneously with teasing smiles, causing Yuli to pout.
Alisha and Yuli arrived at the freelancer tavern, like usual, and got into a conversation with Elise. Alisha told Elise what happened and she had a riot hearing how Reinold defended his sister. She thought what Reinold did was really cute.
Aunt Elise was an amazing woman. She traveled here with her sister and cousin Julie from the elven town of Teizen to seek a better life around fifteen years ago. This was when the Free Association was getting powerful. Riverside was a friendly human town so it was a natural place in Imperial territory to immigrate to.
However, humans were less friendly than they thought and they couldn’t find jobs. So, they worked at a brothel in town. This very tavern was the brothel at one point. That explained the number of female hostesses versus the sole male server, Reinold. The ladies were well-known and well-off now.
Alisha looked at Yuli who was eating with her brother afar from Elise’s reception desk. The loud vulgar men were probably recounting what happened with Yuli and her bullies today.
“Is this why you hate Sophia? Yuli’s adoptive mother?” Alisha asked suddenly. Elise looked wide-eyed. She never mentioned her disdain for the Altons to Yuli.
“Where did you hear that?”
“It was my own deduction from your actions and you weren’t very subtle with Reinold about it.”
After the assault on the carriage by the gargoyles, Elise wanted custody of her niece but Yuli insisted that she was safe and loved. She spoke frankly, “…The Altons gave me Yuli but they took my sister away. I can never forgive them. You know I love her to death. I still want Yuli to live with me.”
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“I suppose Julie went with Yuli to keep an eye on her.”
“Yes. But when Yuli and Reinold left for their travels, she did not have a choice and stayed behind.”
“Julie also seems to like the Altons.”
“…They did not know my sister as I did.”
“I don’t know what to tell you except that the family looks happy together.”
“What?”
“I sat through a number of breakfasts and dinners with the Altons and if I didn’t hear this from you, I wouldn’t have known.”
“…”
Aunt Elise avoided talking about what exactly the Altons did but Alisha knew that it involved Yuli’s mother’s death. She was good to Yuli and Reinold. She also liked to tease Yuli a lot. She respected the guests even if she wasn’t respected back. She could be polite and graceful to a drunken loud tard. Alisha’s impression of her was of a generally relaxed and easy-going person but also responsible and caring. Elise’s resentment was understandable but it didn’t suit her.
She had a youthful body for an Aunt. From the time table she told her, Elise had to be over forty years old. This was when Alisha began questioning the ages of older people. There wasn’t a recorded life expectancy in this era but elves and vampires generally lived longer than humans. Alisha freaked out when told the Altons’ ages. No way they were that old!
Life expectancy for humans was close to one-hundred and eighty years.
“You did not know?” She smiled at her, knowingly.
“I was born only four months ago. It’s natural that I’m ignorant of this world. I read a lot but there are still many things I can only learn from experience.” Alisha changed the subject, “Aunt Elise, you said that you were going to contract the Phoenix for me?”
“Yes, I’ve been contacted by the Phoenix on this matter and this might not be the safest place for you at the moment.”
“Huh?”
“The Phoenix does have enemies. There are people from the Church called the Inquisitors, who hunt the reincarnated, and they might be going to war with the Phoenix soon.”
“That sounds serious but weren’t they always at war?”
“But they took notice of the Phoenix from what I have heard. The last thing I want for you is to be embroiled in their conflict.”
Alisha thought about this for only a few seconds but paused for a minute to convey her seriousness. Her mental capacity and abilities seemed to have increased significantly since Black unveiled the capabilities of her Expanded Space and Time Dilation. Even more than ever, she needed to act to correctly convey her feelings to humans.
“Tell them I want to meet. Despite how I look, I’m strong and I can beat up any tough guys that want to bully me,” she said smugly. Elise looked at her tenaciousness and smiled, knowing how strong she really was in front of her now.
They giggled together as the door to the tavern slammed open with a loud bang. Elise was unfazed as Alisha next to her was shaken.
“Good evening, good folks of Riverside! I have returned victorious from the depths of the earth to bring news of triumph!”
The man that screamed his ostentatious declaration was a large and tall man. She doubted if the man had any fat in him, he looked like a bodybuilder. To accompany such a large man was an equally large broad sword that looked heavy enough to break through the floorboards.
The man had a distinct face which wasn’t too rough and reflected his large strength of body and character. He looked like a knight ready to save the princess. Such a shame, if not for his loud mouth, Alisha might actually have been charmed by his looks.
The man next to him was far less distinct with an average build, plain clothes, and a cloak. What was under his hood couldn’t fool her. That person was a wolfman. Her Monster Sight and sense of smell in this body confirmed it. That person seemed to be good in spiritual magic as the Network seemed to be yielding around him. He kept his wolf ears hidden well with illusion magic. It was interesting for Alisha to see the first beastman in her new life and she affixed her glaze to his fluffy ears. She wanted to touch them.
Immediately after the door swung open, the freelancers in the tavern went crazy as if the man was a celebrity. The front of the house, where Elise and Alisha were, was becoming crowded and loud.
“Am I missing something here?”
“The loud mouth is Sir Alan Locke and the other is Lycus Myst. They are famous freelancers and they traveled with Reinold in the past.”
In fact, Reinold pushed through the crowd and greeted his old friend Alan with a strong grasp.
“Uncle Alan, Uncle Lycus!” Yuli came running in and Alan gave her a bear hug as Lycus ruffled her hair.
Reinold spoke, “Alan! Lycus! It’s good to see you. You said it would only be a few errands, what have you been doing this past month?”
“We were caught up in a few things,” Lycus explained with a leveled head.
“Ha! Ha! Ha! Everyone, let’s gather around a table with a few drinks in hand and I’ll recount our journey to the unrelenting dungeon of the Nortsek Pass!”
Nortsek Pass was the area between mountain ranges that separated the north and south of the Vultian Empire. It was south from Viennera so the travel time must’ve been at least five days by horseback.
Everyone began following the muscle man, Alan, back to the tables. However, he spotted Elise and the small pocket-sized white wolf at the reception desk and walked over.
“Good evening, Lady Elise! I trust that you’ve been well!”
“I have been well. It is a rare sight to have everyone gathered here at Riverside.” Elise referred to them with her niece and nephew.
“Ha! Ha! Yes, I will explain in due time my mission in this town. But first, who is this tiny baby wolf so far from the forest?”
“She is a wolf cub Yuli found in the forest before they got attacked. It is an adorable thing,” She said as she petted the wolf between the ears, causing it to rub its head against her hand. “Her name is Alisha.”
“Ha! Ha! Ha! Nice to meet such a cute creature like you, Alisha.”
Alan’s massive body bent down and his rough hand was reaching for her head. She made herself small in Elise’s arms and growled in rejection of him but Alan didn’t heed her. She bit his hand with a fierce chomp. Alisha tasted the blood in her mouth as Elise jolted her body away.
Why was Elise angry? I didn’t do anything wrong, Alisha thought.
“Ha! Ha! Ha! Such a small thing has a fighting spirit! You have no need to worry, Elise. It was but a sting.”
Everyone else in the tavern was familiar with Alisha’s distrust of strangers so they almost expected this to happen to Alan. It wasn’t the first bite she took out of someone.
The other person, Lycus, approached her. It might’ve been their mutual wolf instincts but they silently communicated with each other. Lycus wasn’t rejected and Alisha rubbed her head against his hand affectionately. He really knew how to deal with animals and petted her in all the right places, especially beside her ears.
The freelancers in the tavern were all in shock. They all had to bride her with food to pet her head and fur but it seemed Alisha liked Lycus immediately. They started a commotion as they cried in jealousy. Alan wore his wide smile and had expected this result from him. Lycus was always good with animals and children.
***
“Then we were at the heart of the dungeon. It was quiet and cold,” Alan said in a theatrical way.
Everyone at the table was listening to his story with their utmost attention. Even Reinold and Yuli joined in. Alisha was currently sitting on the table with the group, seduced by some delicious leftovers. This wolf body really liked her offerings.
“I bravely charged forward, my sword in one hand and a gun in the other. I reached the lair of the Dungeon Master. It was a den of evil, you should’ve seen it. A grand palace underground with the riches of the world just lying there for the taking. Golden coins and lost jewels littered the boss room floor. But such things in life are never so easy to obtain. The guardian of the treasure, the Dungeon Master came down from above me. It was a giant minotaur!”
“Ohhh~!” The group said together in awe.
“What happened next? Did you get the treasure?” Said one tough-looking man, giddy like a school girl.
“Well, I wouldn’t be sitting here with you if I didn’t. Ha! Ha! Ha!” The muscle-brained man laughed a pompous laugh. He was an annoying and pretentious guy, Alisha thought.
She focused on other things going on in the tavern and found a troubling bulletin an Imperial soldier posted on the news board.
FREE ASSOCIATION COMMISSION FOR SUBJUGATION
*****
DEVIL SLIME
WANTED BY THE VULTIAN EMPIRE
LAST SEEN IN THE WOODS NEAR VIENNERA
IT WAS DESCRIBED BY WITNESSES TO BE A DUNGEON MASTER
WITH A LARGE MANA POOL AND THE ABILITY TO SHAPESHIFT
BOUNTY IS 100 IMPERIAL GOLD PIECES
THIS MONSTER SHOULD BE CONSIDERED EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND REQUIRE AT LEAST RANK B PARTY MEMBERS
IF SPOTTED INFORM AUTHORITIES IMMEDIATELY
*****
Please inform the Free Association at your nearest guild house to begin this commission.
Pre-registration is required for payout.
Her hunt was no longer an Imperial matter, it was open season now. Freelancers and mercenaries were generally stronger than the army’s troops and they could move more independently. This wasn’t good.
“Ohhhh~!” The group exclaimed again. Huh? Did she miss something? She was ignoring them for a second as she was munching.
“Then BANG!”
Alan violently brought his fist down and shook the table, startling her.
“The minotaur goes down in one magnificent blow! And with my sword, I carved into its chest and took its crystal for my own.” Her heart was beating fast now, not because of his ‘magnificence,’ but because he frightened her.
“Alisha, here,” the kind wolfman said. She hopped over and ate the piece of food from his hand, then he snatched her up. “You were scared just now, weren’t you?”
“Huh? She has nothing to worry about! If I can slay a Dungeon Master with one arm, I’m the most qualified to protect everyone here!” He said smugly.
Please stop talking, she thought.
“Here, I even brought with me the crystal of the very minotaur I spoke of!”
He revealed from his bag an icosahedron crystal, the same shape as hers. With her Monster Sight and Mana Sense, she saw that it was legitimate.
The crystal was twice the size of her head! However, she suspected he exaggerated some details. The color of a crystal represented the mana pool of the monster and this crystal was only a darker shade of green. She was a deep purple.
The minotaur didn’t have much mana and it relied on brute force for victory in battle. For Alan, who was a half-decent mage along with his party of freelancers, she imagined the fight would’ve been easy for them.
As he held the crystal in front of her, she looked away, rejecting him. “You’re pretty smart, aren’t you? You know a suspicious person when you see one,” Lycus said as he held her.
“Oh, come on, Alisha didn’t mean it right?” He said, dejected. When she rejected him for the third time tonight, the sight crushed his fragile spirit. However, Alisha was all smiles on the inside.