The next morning found James meditating outside on the still dewy grass. He was a huge bearded man and made an imposing figure even sat cross legged on the grass, he wore a training Gi that fit him loosely but anyone could still see the huge powerlifter muscles underneath. They say that essence abilities don’t change the inherent character of the users but James wasn’t sure. He slept less now, that was normal for most essence users but he felt on edge every time he closed his eyes, his senses and instincts extended searching for predators. When he talked about it with his team they joked about it being opposite of the nature of his meditation, juxtaposed to his sleep habits his meditation was called ‘hibernation’, from his Bear essence, outwardly it looked no different from any other meditation but his team still ribbed him about it.
Kyra walked out from the barn they were staying in, she was also up early before the other trainees. “Really?! You’re just going to sit out here and meditate whilst I clean up after what your familiar did last night?” She stood with her arms folded glaring daggers at him. He sighed and stood, having achieved what he needed for the day ahead but enjoying the stillness of the morning.
“You know I’m fighting first today and we’re leaving early. It’s good for me to meditate beforehand.”
“Yes but not when all the furniture is trashed that people need for their breakfast!”
Last night the trainees were having a few drinks and they convinced James and Kyra to release their familiars at the same time. Koda was a bear cub, on all fours his shoulders easily came to James’ waist height. He and Lucky played like pups from the same litter, chasing, biting, and running into each other growling and snapping. Lucky had a strength that belied his small size of a year old puppy, but Koda was a powerhouse, every blow was held back to stop himself batting the puppy through a wall. The ensuing carnage entertained everyone for hours but looked like a tornado had swept through the room.
They returned inside to see the owner of the farm already cooking breakfast behind a big bar along one side of the room.
“Oh it’s good to see you guys are up to fix all this!”
He stood wiping his hands on his apron, Kyra elbowing James hard in the ribs.
“I was thinking I’d cook breakfast anyway after you all helped me clear out those rattlings yesterday but not let any of you have any until you’d fixed the room back up!”
The farm was extremely large, with seasonal crops that required part time workers to come and stay for the harvest seasons, making it perfect for the trainees on assessment to stay in the temporary lodgings and long dining hall.
Once the room was back in good order the other trainees emerged bleary eyed and began shuffling along the bar picking up cooked breakfast. Instructor Trenslow appeared, his ridiculously big and styled moustache perfect despite the early hour. Once he’d had his breakfast he called everyone around his table.
“Yesterday we cleared the rattlings from this farm, however we have noticed a much higher level of activity in this area, more than is usual. As adventurers we have to sometimes investigate using our own initiative and not just what’s posted on the boards. James, you had something in mind for what is going on?”
James stood, looking at the collected trainee adventurers.
“What I think we have is a peak Iron rank rat gorger, from the magic society book on monsters we can read that they feed on similar but lower rank monsters in order to grow stronger. In this instance I would estimate the rat gorger has eaten until he is at the peak of his rank and cannot progress further, now the rattlings around him will follow his basic commands, this has eliminated the competition and allowed the rattlings to multiply in the surrounding area.”
“Very good, what else”
“I believe I have found the cave in which it’s made it’s lair, the rattlings will now seek to protect the rat gorger but I would like to take this one solo.”
“Very well, but as she is on your team and as she said yesterday she likes to remain at the back, Kyra will follow you, she is not to engage but must be on hand for if it goes wrong. This is a monster at the peak of its rank, you are all starting your adventurer journeys and should not underestimate the threat of higher power monsters.”
The trainees left on foot, the cave system not far away, James and Kyra leading the way, trying to stay out of earshot of instructor Trenslow who was being hounded by trainees trying to make a connection or trying to see if they were on track to pass.
“You have a plan right? I trust you but this seems like the jobs we talked about doing as a team not as individuals.”
“I have a plan, mostly. I have to show him that I can do something more impressive than one punch a big monster. This should do the trick.”
They stood in front of the cave entrance, the regular traffic in ones and twos of rattlings were being merrily chased by the playful bear cub. James looked pensively at the entrance, there were so many scents coming out and he could hear the rumbling of many many feet inside.
“Are. You. Sure?” Kyra deliberately said, eyeing the cave warily “although it does look very dirty in there”.
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James released his aura, Kyra relaxed, suddenly feeling better about the endeavour. Then she stiffened again. Her senses suddenly enhanced by his aura.
“Damn there’s a lot of monsters in there!”
James rolled his eyes, gave Trenslow a nod and walked into the cave, Koda the bear cub followed him, catching the lesser rat monsters running out the cave past James. They took a few twists and turns until it opened out, in the middle, surrounded by teeming rattlings, on a pile of bones, sat the rat gorger. Hugely muscled, almost three times the size of a person it gnawed on a long bone in its hand. The bone suddenly splintered in its mouth and it shrieked, blood dribbling out its mouth, suddenly it snatched a rattling from the cave floor and ate it, the bleeding stopped almost immediately.
“Note to self, eating friends to heal yourself is gross, here we go, see if this works.”
They had found the awakening stone when they visited the Vitesse safari, they were going through the Liophant enclosure. Huge creatures, half lion but the size of an elephant, they were the jewel of the safari, apex predators, natural animals that could stand toe to toe with bronze rank monsters. They had found an old Liophant that was sick and dying. James had left the enclosed tourist bus and spoken to the creature, soothing it in its passing. As it breathed its last, rainbow light coalesced around it. Magic naturally formed this way either creating an essence, monster, awakening stone or quintessence. In this instance it formed an awakening stone of the Liophant. When he reported the manifestation to the magic society they postulated that the Liophant had lived and hunted enough monsters for so long it had absorbed enough natural magic over its lifetime to condense into an awakening stone on its death.
James used that power now, making his entrance to the room he targeted the Rat gorger;
“Hear me roar!”
Ability: [Apex Predator] (Animage)
Spell: Intimidate
Cost: moderate mana (increasing with high level enemies)
Cooldown: 1hr
Current rank: Iron 1 (10%)
Effect (iron): Intimidate targeted enemy. Successfully intimidated enemies will be inflicted with an instance of [vulnerable].
[Vulnerable]: Cause your attacks to be more effective against an enemy.
He grunted with the unexpected mana drain, the rat gorger was at the peak of iron rank. he cast another spell to empty out his mana pool on Koda.
“Great spirits I call on you to protect my family”
Ability: [Ursa Family] (Bear)
Spell: Retributive buff
Cost: moderate mana
Cooldown: 5min
Current rank: Iron 2 (50%)
He tapped a tattoo on his chest, another souvenir from Vitesse, a stylised mage bear on his chest in a cartoon style, a brown bear with a blue wizards hat and a goofy expression. He felt his mana pool almost completely refill without effecting his potion cool-down.
As he hoped his intimidation had the desired effect, the rat gorger was too strong to completely dominate, but he had challenged it and broken its hold on its rattling horde, they found themselves in front of two incredibly dangerous predators and ran. Straight at the only exit where Koda was ready, he was glorious, primal fury and the animalistic joy in crushing prey. The rattlings tried to attack him, doing little damage, but every attack stacking another buff from Ursa Family.
Effect (iron): Attacks against an ally cause and instance of [Fortitude].
[Fortitude]: Ally becomes stronger with each instance.
The sheer volume of rats piling on Koda was stacking the buff faster and faster, easily able to keep up with the horde trying to push their way out of the narrow opening.
James looked at the rat gorger, now locked onto him, bellowing and throwing its arms out. James blinked out of existence, appearing just above the monster. The ceiling of the cave was too low to get any decent height, the Peregrine Dive power that he used didn’t follow the laws of physics, he smashed into the back of the creature as though he had fallen from a thousand feet, already at terminal velocity. He knocked the monster down and forward to the corner of the cave. He had transformed his left foot into an eagle’s talon in the dive and three bloody rents were on the monsters back. The monster was unnaturally strong for its level though, having fed on lesser rattlings for a long time. It jumped up and barrelled towards James looking to overpower him. James placed his taloned foot behind him and met the charge, dodging the grasping arms and uppercutting the rat in its mid thigh, a crack was heard and the monster screamed in pain, he’d fractured the monsters bone.
Unable to advance without being in pain the giant monster took a step back and his tail whipped around, meaty and thick, articulating like an elephants truck it shot out and looked as if it was going to take off James’ head. James activated another power, his own tail appeared; identical but smaller than the monsters shot out and matched it strength for strength in between them. Without missing a beat he pivoted on his right foot and slashed down with his left eagle taloned leg, severing the rat gorger’s tail.
Having a moment to breathe he checked on Koda. Looking over his shoulder he used his Wing Sweep special attack and the remains of the hordes of rattlings and smashed them into the cave wall. Taking a step back and to the right James took a wide stance, the rat gorger, after screaming at the loss of its tail was so enraged that it fought through the pain and charged at James who had moved and was standing next to the cave wall.
Koda had been stopping any rattling escape of the cave, he was covered in the gore of uncountable rats and his fur was matted and dripping. He looked for his next prey after James had used his special attack and only saw one. As the rat gorger was lunging at James Koda hit him as if he had been fired from a cannon, the monster’s head crushed against the side of the cave wall like a melon.
They exited the cave together and the trainee adventurers backed off at the sight of them, even though they had been watching through a far sight crystal the sunlight on them was making it look much worse. Taking out two bottles of crystal wash he cleaned Koda and then himself. He moved towards the group and mentally assented the loot, the cave mouth suddenly spewing rainbow smoke like a factory chimney from his old world.
Instructor Trenslow looked relaxed and pleased about the encounter.
“I have seen a lot of messy encounters in my time as an adventurer, you looked like you had a bath in blood. Well done, you thoroughly investigated what was causing a monster infestation and solved the problem, isolating the key factor and delegating what you could to your familiar, you thoroughly prepared for the encounter and had a plan.”
Kyra came up and made a show of double checking his shoulder for any left-over gore before patting his back.
“We’ll done, Although I did see you technically only ‘one punched’ that thing!”