Glitch Hunter

by Skyler Grant

  "That isn't something you'd be reluctant to explain. So what’s the other one?" Helen asked.

  Yasmine said, "Our bracers call it experience, but really it is power. When we kill another Glitch we take a portion of their power into ourselves. You'll ultimately be able to spend some of that power to make yourself smarter, or faster, or more resistant to poisons. You'll also be able to spend some to unlock added perks and abilities from your bracer. It begs the question, where does that power go?"

  "We're being farmed?" Alex asked.

  Yasmine glanced backward and gave a wry smile, "Wish I knew. Maybe it all goes towards maintaining the House, maybe it’s something more sinister."

  "But you keep doing what you do. Even encouraging us to do the same," Morgan said.

  "I don't know who or what I was before I came here, but I enjoy this life. I enjoy it enough that I'm happy doing the job without asking too many questions."

  She raised a hand to bring them to a halt.

  They'd approached a rocky overhang that sheltered a tiny cave. Bloody bones were scattered outside. In the sun two greenish and yellow-scaled shapes lay resting.

  Yasmine said, "Cockatrice have terrible hearing, but we get any closer they'll sense us. Pike, you're the best in a fight, but you don't have any armor. Glaive, move in first on the one on the left and then Pike can assist you. Ranseur, the one on the right is yours. You don't need to harmonize your blades but do so—you need the practice. Tell your bracers to condense combat data too."

  Alex drew his weapons and repeated Yasmine's words.

  Alex rather liked having access to all the data so kept his the way it was for the time being. Looking towards one of the Cockatrice he focused his attention and tried to pick up its frequency.

  Plains Cockatrice

  Alignment: Green

  Level: 2

  Hitpoints 21/21

  A Cockatrice is a winged creature with the legs and head of a rooster and the body of a serpent. They are found in family units of three to four and families are extremely territorial. Plains Cockatrice are a relatively weak variety that are either scavengers or prey upon livestock and small animals near human settlements.

  Their tone was grating, more so than any of the other Glitch Hunters. It was like a mingled screech and the sound of slithering in Alex's mind. With his hammer he tapped his Songblade.

  Alex missed the tone the first time out. Still, it must have been close enough to awaken the beasts, their heads rising as they looked around. A second strike lower on the blade and one of the Cockatrice screeched loudly.

  Morgan and Helen were still trying to find the tone as Alex rushed forward, an overhead swing seeking to end the fight quickly.

  You have hit the Plains Cockatrice with your Songblade

  Harmonized

  8 Harmonized Damage

  Dissonant Hide absorbs 1 damage

  5 Slashing Damage

  Dissonant Hide absorbs 1 damage

  11 Damage dealt

  It was different than the fight with the Aryx. This time the harmonized blade sank easily into the serpentine body. Blood splashed out as a beak lashed at Alex's chest.

  You have been hit by the Plains Cockatrice

  Dissonant Beak

  7 Dissonant Damage

  4 has been absorbed by your armor

  6 Piercing Damage

  2 has been absorbed by your armor

  7 Damage received

  The beak pierced the damaged armor with ease and Alex grunted in pain.

  Morgan rushed in from the side delivering overhand hits with both his weapons to the Cockatrice's body. They weren't harmonized, Alex could hear that he hadn’t got the tone right. It was still enough, bringing the sound of squelching flesh and soon a dead body.

  A Plains Cockatrice has been killed

  Half-share awarded

  You have gained 1 Green XP

  Helen had ended her fight with a single blow, stabbing her Cockatrice with a precise thrust through one of its eyes.

  They might have been amongst the lowest tier of Glitch—but still, a win felt good.

  7

  “When sacking a city remember to burn the temples and kill the priests. If some poor sod wants to pray for vengeance, make the bastard work for it.” Draxon Kor, Warlord

  Yasmine walked between the corpses looking them over, "Glaive, armor or not there was no need to get hit at all. I know you were going for a quick kill, but if it doesn't work it’s a failure. Ranseur, I'd be angry at you too, except you pulled it off."

  Alex agreed, getting hit was careless. He had thought that harmonizing the blade would vastly increase the damage. Based on the numbers it was more than doubled, but against a Glitch that only went so far. It was still careless to leave himself in the position to get hit when he could have taken a different approach and stayed unharmed.

  "Engage Analysis mode again and look over the corpse," Yasmine said.

  Circles and lines covered the Cockatrice's body and areas became highlighted.

  Cockatrice Claws

  Cockatrice Eyes

  Cockatrice Scales

  "What is a green gem?" Helen asked.

  "I don't have that," Alex said.

  "Ranseur is a lucky girl. Killing Glitch can be profitable even without someone footing the bill. Glitch energy can sometimes crystalize," Yasmine said, moving to kneel beside Ranseur's victim. "This one is endurance. Green gems are usually some sort of physical enhancement. Your weapons should have a socket in one or the other. If you don't keep the gem, they usually sell for good coin to any smith."

  Yasmine tapped a few fingers on her bracer. “All right, now it’s time to show you something else.”

  Recipes have been shared with you

  Basic Healing Potion

  Water (pure)

  Blood of a Green Glitch

  Leaves (ground) (Bella, Sedora, Atorora, or Gnik)

  Mix three parts water to one part Green Blood. Boil and allow to cool. Add one part ground leaves and add low heat for half an hour.

  Basic Fire Oil

  Alcohol

  Blood of a Red Glitch

  Binder

  Vigorously mix one part of all ingredients. Allow to set thirty minutes.

  Basic Poison

  Water (purified)

  Intestines of a Green Glitch

  Mix one part each and allow to set for one week.

  Yasmine said, "These aren't the best recipes. They're only what I'm allowed to share with you to get you started. Often ingredients are interchangeable. As you can see, the blood of any green aligned Glitch will serve for a basic healing potion. In this case we've got Cockatrice, so go ahead and harvest some. I have empty vials in the pack."

  "How did you do that? Share those with us?" Alex asked.

  "It won't make a lot of sense to you just yet, but you can look at it. Tell your bracer to enter manual interface," Yasmine said.

  The three did as she said. Alex saw a number of symbols glowing in blue appear on his bracer. A glance at the others showed no such symbols on theirs.

  "Others won't see your manual interface unless you allow it. Commonly used functions can be mapped on your bracer so you don't feel like a damned fool talking out loud all the time. The symbol that looks like an eye is analysis mode, the book is your Grimoire, the potion your recipes," Yasmine said.

  Alex found it useful, especially if sneaking around having to speak to the bracer could pose a problem.

  "We're going to go herb hunting in a bit. First, presents," Yasmine said, setting her pack on the ground and opening it.

  "Going to try to put a ring on Glaive?" Helen asked.

  "Not the possessive type. First for Morgan," Yasmine said, and drew out a potion-caster. It was bulkier than either Helen's or Alex's and seemed large enough to actually fit the Morgan's wrist.

  "Lass, I thought you weren't able to do anything about my lack of gear?" Morgan said.

  "Opportunity arose when I was out last night sc
outing our hunt for today and I grabbed it for you. Feel free to buy me drinks for years to come," Yasmine said, handing it over.

  Morgan slipped it around his arm and snapped the bindings shut.

  Yasmine said, as she drew more items from the bag, "It’s an older model. I tested it and it’s still serviceable. It doesn't have the range of the newer ones, but it holds five ampules instead of three. I'd call it a fair trade-off."

  These were leather belts studded with small compartments, three in total.

  Yasmine indicated a belt slung across her chest. "How I wear mine. Figure out what works best for you. Each has three poison, three fire, and three shock ampules for your caster. There are also a few empty vials we'll be using to make healing potions later."

  "Why do we need healing potions? For others that we run across?" Helen asked.

  "You give one of our healing potions to a mundane human, you might wind up killing them when you mean to help them," Yasmine said with a shake of her head. "We're not stimulating the body’s natural healing, we're harnessing part of the power of a Glitch and putting it into potion form. Your physiology can take the shock of that being introduced to your system. Theirs isn't as durable. You might heal them, hurt them, even transform them into a Glitch."

  "That happens?" Alex asked.

  "More than you'd think. Werecreatures are a human and animal hybrid. They were originally created by a human surviving Glitch poison and ultimately changing to adopt some of the attributes of their attacker."

  "I know it is off-topic, but is there a House devoted to green energy?" Alex asked.

  "So, so far off-topic. House of the Wild, you probably won't meet any of them and if you do, your bracer is going to give you instructions."

  Yasmine seemed suddenly distracted as she explained this.

  Alex's vision flickered.

  Priority Communication

  Chakram, Voulge Reset

  Priority Quests Pending

  Cinquedea, Flail, Pike, Glaive, Ranseur moved to standby status

  "Fucking hell," Yasmine said. It was the first time Alex had ever really heard her angry.

  "Problem?" Helen asked.

  "Chakram and Voulge were two of the Glitch Hunters helping to cover this area while we were training. Them being reset is our bracers way of telling us they're dead. They were good people, a cute couple," Yasmine said.

  "I'm sorry," Alex said.

  Yasmine said, "Don’t be. It’s part of the job and they were both good at it. Knew what they were doing and worked as a team.” She looked grim. “This is too many, too fast."

  "Is our training interrupted?" Alex asked.

  Yasmine let out a low breath. "Fuck. No, not yet, but it’s probably going to happen soon. If you get the offer of a quest while we're apart do not accept it. I don't want any of you winding up on one alone. Not with whatever is happening out there."

  "Do Glitch Hunters usually work in pairs?" Alex asked.

  "Most go solo. Right now, with us dropping like flies, it’s a good idea to have someone watch your back. I wasn't going to do this right now ... look at this."

  Yasmine reached into her pack and pulled out a rolled parchment which she spread out. It was a rough map.

  "These borders are from little old, stupid wars. Ultimately you'll be able to unlock a far more updated version through your bracer. Again, that doesn't help you now." Yasmine tapped a blank point on the map. "Spalish Keep where we currently call home."

  "It isn't even on the map," Helen said.

  "Yeah, the keep was an old piece of crap no one cared about even when this map got made. We're in the Kingdom of Youlash. I'm not going to show you every place, just the most likely we might get sent. Quests from the House usually center around areas of major human development."

  "There doesn't seem to be much of that," Alex said.

  Yasmine traced her finger to the southwest. "Rona City. Still in Youlash and the home of the local lord. He's a prick and his city is boring."

  "Wow, like I’ve said, you know how to sell things," Helen said.

  Yasmine moved her finger to the east. "Try this, then. Blangosh, still in Youlash and filled with brothels, taverns, and criminals."

  "I like it already," Morgan said.

  Helen grimaced.

  Yasmine jabbed at the north coast. "Falkirk, a trading hub because it’s on the borders of Youlash, Brightshy, and Olean. A part of Olean these days.” She leaned back. “If we're going to wind up sent anywhere it will be one of these. So take a moment to study them."

  "I still don't understand why the House has to be so difficult. They can import killers from another world, but they can't buy them a decent, damned map?" Helen asked.

  Yasmine said, "When you figure out any answers let me know. Seriously."

  "So, what are these quests?" Alex asked.

  "Your bracers are constantly reading the dissonance around you. One bracer gives a good view by itself. Put all of them together and somehow they can do a lot more. They can tell where powerful Glitch are hunting, or new ones are going to spawn."

  "Are we ready to deal with powerful Glitch?" Helen asked.

  Yasmine turned to look back at the Cockatrice corpses. "Despite your win today, no. Your bracers also know that and are going to try to assign you something appropriate. It isn't just about stopping big problems, but stopping little problems before they become bigger."

  "So how are we going to work in pairs? Aren't you going to be needed for something bigger?" Helen asked.

  "Yeah, I'm probably going to have to tell them to go to hell and pair up with one of you instead," Yasmine said.

  "What about the new Chakram and Voulge? Aren't they going to need training?" Alex asked.

  "You're all too new to get a trainee, and I'm still busy with you. They'll probably use magic to recall the bracers and see them assigned to other experienced Glitch Hunters."

  Yasmine shook her head, still clearly bothered by the reset of the two hunters and doing her best to put it out of mind. "Back to business. We're going to gather herbs so you can make healing potions tonight. I've already worked with Glaive and Ranseur on firing their potion-casters. Now I'm going to team up with Morgan so we can search for herbs and practice potion-casting at the same time."

  "So how do we go about that?" Alex said.

  "Our best option in this area is going to be Sedora leaves. Small white flowers usually found in shallow river water. You can also set your bracer to scan for specific ingredients. You have to be in analysis mode for that to work."

  "That makes everything hard to see," Helen said.

  "Right. You lose most of your peripheral vision and keep it up for too long you'll get a massive headache. There are upgrades that let you stay in it with a lot less consequences, but they're an uncommon path."

  "When are you going to teach us about choosing our skills anyways? We all have experience now," Alex said.

  "Tonight. It will keep you tied up in your interfaces a bit and I don't want to waste the daylight. Any other questions?" Yasmine asked.

  "So just how many bars are there in Blangosh?" Morgan asked.

  "You live in a tavern right now? How many could you possibly need?" Yasmine said wryly. "Any reasonable questions?"

  "Just one—a big one," Helen said.

  Yasmine let out a frustrated sigh. "I don't know if we have time for that. All right, what?"

  Helen asked, "You've always said we're free to go our own way if we want, but that we should give this a go. All around us are Glitch Hunters dying while doing what they were supposed to be doing. Do you still really think this a good idea?"

  Yasmine massaged her eyes, suddenly looking tired. "You guys know I hate bullshit and I try to play it straight with you. We are Glitch and most Glitch become monsters. Our bracers don't just tell us what to do, they help to keep us human. My honest, heartfelt advice is that despite what is happening you're still best-off sticking to the plan."

  Alex, Helen, and Morgan excha
nged looks.

  Helen grabbed Alex's arm. "Off for a walk along the river then.” She told Morgan, “Don't set anything on fire you don't mean to."

  8

  “The Institute of Glitch Studies was the pride of Silverspire in the second age, devoted to practical applications of Glitch physiology. The resources of four kingdoms went into building a hope for the future.” Anok Vrell, The Cursed City

  Waiting until they were well clear of the others Helen came to a halt and turned to face Alex.

  "So, what do you make of all this?"

  "What we're learning has value. I'm not happy that something is hunting us, and I'm glad we're learning what we are," Alex said.

  Helen frowned a bit at that. "Yasmine seems okay, but this whole thing ... I can feel trouble, I can feel it in my bones. We're killers, we probably have a sense for such thing. Don't you?"

  Alex nodded curtly. "I feel it. I still see this as the best place to be right now. You do too. If you didn't, you would already be going the way of Evan."

  "Maybe I'm scoping you out right now because I'm thinking of doing just that and I'd rather not hit the road alone? Yasmine is right about that, it’s better to have someone to watch your back." Alex resumed walking, headed towards the river. Helen stepped into place beside him.

  Alex said, "I'm thinking about it and I don't see any advantages. If someone is identifying and murdering Glitch Hunters, they’re probably identifying them based on the bracers—bracers we don't have a way to remove."

  "We could hide them," Helen said.

  "We can hide them and still work with the House, keeping access to whatever resources they have," Alex said.

  "Which is what exactly? They won't even give us a good map. Yasmine is arming us out of her own pockets and you know it."