You have gained 125 experience in both Archery, and the Subskill Aim shot for killing Timber Wolf (2)(Level 7).
You have gained 150 experience for slaying Timber Wolf (2)(Level 7).
Arthur shifted focus. That was two he had now taken down. Vana and Allendria had taken out both of the wolves they had been assigned, and Samson had managed to land a mortal blow on one of the ones he was facing, which left only one standing, and it was looking pretty ragged. Vana had landed a couple of arrows in its side, and Allendria had hit it in the rear with one of her concentrated fire bolts. The thing was limping along, so Samson stepped forward and drove his sword to the hilt through the side of the creature’s neck into organs, dropping the wolf to the ground.
All of them took a step back and swept their gaze around their surroundings. All of the wolves were either dead or quickly bleeding out. Everything else looked clear around them, so they started checking themselves for any damage. They were all utterly unscathed except for Samson. Even he fared well and only had a couple of shallow scratches on his arms where claws had barely made it past the edge of his shield as he moved it to block. He didn’t need any medical attention, and they had hardly taken any of his health from him. They gave the wolves a minute while they checked their gear so they would finish bleeding out.
You have gained 900 experience for the death of Timber Wolf (Level 7) (x4).
Congratulations, you have advanced to level 8. You have 5 available skill points. Moving kind of slow, aren’t you?
The experience was rather lovely. Each of the party pulled out their daggers and got to work gutting the animals. Wolves were not the best meat to eat, but when you had a food shortage, as they did, you used whatever you could find. The hides would be useful, though. The skin was thick enough to make a thin leather. It was nowhere near as good or as thick as leather from a cow but was usable. They neatly stacked them on the cart, and he tied them down with a rope. There was still plenty more space on the hand cart, though, so he knew they needed to push on. With this ambush, Arthur was sure the entrance was nearby.
They continued on their way and after ten minutes of aimlessly walking around, discovered a large cave entrance. It looked like a sinkhole with a sloped bottom on it. It wasn’t your typical cave entrance in a wall but was instead directly on the ground. They approached it cautiously, looking for enemies. As they got close, a message appeared to each of them.
Warning: You are about to enter the Dungeon of Graceful Beasts. Proceed with caution and watch the shadows.
Well, that was overly ominous. At least it warned them so they wouldn’t accidentally stumble into a dungeon while exploring. Arthur called them to a brief halt.
“Everyone, take a moment to get a drink and a quick snack before we go in. Check and make sure your equipment is ready.”
They all nodded in acknowledgment and set about doing just that. Arthur ate a stick of dried meat and took a quick drink from his water-skin. He checked his sword and dagger, and both looked good.
“All right, everyone. Once we get inside the entrance, I am going to leave the cart in the first big clearing we find. We can’t afford to lug it through a dungeon. We can bring back anything we find to load it on later. Samson has the lead, and we will cover. Pick your targets carefully. Anything speedy is our primary target. I have faith Samson can hold back some of the slower and bulkier beasts without an issue. Vana, choose your shots carefully. Allendria, continue as you have been, but if we get in trouble, do not be afraid to unleash hell. I’ll take some ruined beast remains over us being dead any day.” Arthur told them.
“Let’s get this show on the road then,” Samson said good-naturedly.
They entered the cave slowly and kept a close watch around them. Arthur knew the warning was there for a reason, so they carefully watched the shadows. He was sure some sleeker predators were hiding in them. A little way in, the tunnel expanded to an open cavern, and he pulled the cart to the side. They grouped up in a semi-loose formation to give himself and Vana room to use their bows. They heard a low growl come from around the corner ahead of them, and they froze. A large cat of some kind crept around the corner to face them. As they watched three more followed it from around the corner. The four cats slowly approached the group and had started crouching down as if they were stalking prey.
The group was standing there, staring at the cats in awe when one of the cats screeched and stumbled. Vana wasn’t as enraptured as the rest and was smart enough to get an arrow off. That one action caused the whole scene to go crazy. The other three cats took off in bounding leaps for the group while Samson ran to intercept them. Vana took another shot at the cat she had hit initially, and Arthur got his bow up and launched an arrow at one of the cats charging Samson.
The cat was moving so fast it glanced off the side of the cat and just scratched it.
You have dealt 5 damage to Night Stalker (1)(Level 9) with Simple Iron Arrow (Glancing Blow).
“Shit, they are fast. Samson, can you pin them down?” Arthur yelled.
He retook aim and this time activated Aim Shot to slow down time. The arrow flew and took the animal in the rear leg. He had aimed for the heart but didn’t judge the speed correctly.
You have dealt 20 damage to Night Stalker (1)(Level 9) with Simple Iron Arrow (Critical Strike).
You have inflicted Paralyze (Rear Left Leg) to Night Stalker (1)(Level 9).
Well, that should at least slow it down a bit, Arthur thought to himself.
“I’m trying to, but have you ever heard the expression about herding cats? Yep, this is worse.” Samson responded.
Samson had reached the first one that was charging him and barreled into it shield first. The cat had managed to twist and avoid some damage before getting hit, but it was still stunned. Samson pivoted and swung at another cat that had veered toward him and caused it to jump back. Vana had turned her original target into a pincushion, and she had already changed focus to another one of the other cats that were attacking Samson. Arthur said, screw it, and decided to go with the sword. He dropped his bow and pulled his sword free. The distance melted away as he closed with the cat. Since it was slightly slower, he thought he could take it without much trouble.
Arthur closed the distance with the cat, and it swung a paw at him. He took a quick step back, and as soon as the claw passed, he dashed forward and stabbed the sword through the front of the cat’s shoulder and into its chest. The cat mewled and fell to the ground.
You have dealt 96 damage to Night Stalker (1)(Level 9) with Steel Longsword of Minor Beastslaying (Critical Strike)(Mortal Strike)(Fatal Blow).
Another cat out of the way. Arthur had taken a step backward and pulled his sword free when another cat barreled into him from the side. It pinned him to the ground, and its head came down to bite him. He threw up his arm on instinct, and the cat’s jaws closed around his forearm.
Night Stalker (2)(Level 9) has dealt 35 HP damage to you with Bite (Sneak Attack)(Critical Strike).
Night Stalker (2)(Level 9) has inflicted Critical Bleed to you.
Son of a bitch that hurt, Arthur thought to himself. He roared in pain at the cat as he held it at bay with his arm. He activated Weak Flame and pointed the palm of his free hand at the cat. A gout of fire erupted from his palm right into the cat’s face. The cat jumped away quickly with a snarl. The spell hadn’t done much damage, but it had scared it off.
You have gained 30 experience in Fire Magic for successfully casting Weak Flame.
You have dealt 3 damage to Night Stalker (2)(Level 9) with Fire Magic: Weak Flame.
Arthur stumbled back to his feet, while the cat that had taken him down was busy swatting at its face. He leaped at it and swung down as hard as he could. The blade hit right on the cat’s neck and sheared into it smoothly. It slowed when it hit the spine but kept pushing through until its head was hanging by a bit of skin.
Night Stalker (1)(Level 10) has Died.
You have gained 150 experience in Archery
, and the Subskill Aim shot for killing Night Stalker (1)(Level 10).
You have gained 240 experience for killing Night Stalker (1)(Level 9).
Congratulations, you have reached level 2 in the Subskill Aim Shot. Increases firing speed and time dilation by 3%.
You have dealt 197 damage to Night Stalker (2)(Level 9) with Steel Longsword of Minor Beastslaying (Decapitating Blow)(Instant Kill)
Night Stalker (2)(Level 9) has Died.
You have gained 150 experience in Swords for killing Night Stalker (2)(Level 9).
You have gained 240 experience for killing Night Stalker (2)(Level 9).
That was a relief. One more cat out of the fight permanently. Arthur took a quick look around at how the battle was going. Allendria had been surprised by a cat just as he had, but she had let loose with her fire. It looked somewhat crispy and was lying on the ground, unmoving. Vana had taken another cat out of the fight with her arrows. Arthur was extremely grateful he recruited her for the team. She was holding her own and more. He could only imagine how damned good she would be once he found her a good bow.
He was about to race to Samson to help him dispatch the last cat when he saw the man slam his shield into the cat and plunge his sword into its ribcage. The beast mewled and fell still. They all stood up, breathing a bit heavy and looked around. Six of the creatures lay around them in different levels of carnage.
“Fucking sneaky ass cats jumping on people,” Arthur swore as he examined the damage to his left forearm. He had multiple puncture marks on his arm where the creature’s jaws had bit into as he tried to block his face. A couple of them were bleeding pretty good as well. Vana seemed to notice what had happened, and she headed in his direction.
She took a quick look at the wounds and nodded as she starting digging in a pouch on her hip. She pulled out a small container with an odd green goop in it. She scooped out a chunk of it and dabbed a bit on the more minor puncture wounds. When she finished the small ones, she took a piece of cloth and wiped off the blood around the two bigger ones and quickly packed a big chunk of the poultice into each of those.
“For fuck’s sake, Vana! Can you warn me before you do that?” Arthur yelled.
“Why? So you can bitch about it before I do it instead?” She said with a wry grin on her face.
“Don’t worry about it, you baby. The bleeding will stop shortly, and the wound itself will heal pretty quickly. They are mainly superficial wounds except for those two larger ones.” She told him.
“That was some fine shooting, by the way. You are truly a force to be reckoned with. I can see how you were able to help the village stay afloat for now.” Arthur told her.
“I appreciate that. It can be hard to find a job in a ranger group. The last one I worked for kicked me out because the guys I worked for were insecure since I was better than all of them. Men and their insecurities.” She said with a huff.
“I assure you, I am more than happy you are much better than I am. Now, if I can get you a good bow and some better quality arrows, I am sure you will shine.”
“Hopefully, we can find something before our big confrontation. I will feel better facing the thugs with some better equipment.” She told him.
“We will have to get better equipment for sure. I am not worried about it, though. I think the village bowyer will be ready to make another one shortly. I have some yew logs from an earlier scavenging trip and plan to have a few bows made from that. Those should prove far superior to what we are currently using. We can easily find some sturdy wood for arrows, but until we can get a hold of some steel, I think iron arrows are the best we can do.” Arthur told her.
“At least you have a plan, and for that, I am thankful. I need to go see to Samson. I saw a few cuts on him I need to inspect. Can we get Rowan to work on a set of armor for him? If nothing else, he needs some greaves and bracers to protect his arms and legs where the shield doesn’t always cover.” She asked.
“It was one of my top priorities, and if we didn’t need the meat so bad, I would have delayed the trip a couple of days. I decided against it because of our pressing need for food. The man seems to be very skilled with that shield, though.”
“Yes, he does indeed.” She said as she left to go check on him.
Arthur made his way over to Allendria, who was checking herself for injuries. Luckily she looked somewhat unscathed.
“Did that cat get the jump on you as well?” Arthur asked as he approached.
“The bastard almost did.” She said as she spat in its direction. “I barely saw it out of the corner of my eye and didn’t have time to take a subtle approach, so instead, I unleashed a pure stream of flame at it and didn’t stop until it ceased moving. Sapped almost all of my mana, though.” She told him wearily.
“We can take a bit of a break here and gather ourselves. It should give you time to recover a good amount of your mana. I want to get these cats taken care of before we move on.” He told her.
They set to work on the creatures and started gutting them. They decided to leave the one Allendria had charbroiled alone and focused on the other five instead. They got those five cleaned out and packed them on the cart before they turned around and made their way back to the bend the cats had come from. He was pleased with the experience he gained from the kills, though.
You have gained 960 experience for the death of Night Stalker (Level 9) (x4).
They continued around the bend and found another open room that appeared to be empty. The group made their way through it slowly, but right before they made it to the next passage, they were ambushed by two more of the night stalkers. Arthur and Vana quickly filled one full of arrows and left it immobile while Samson had smashed the second, and between his sword and Allendria’s targeted fire, they took it out as well. He could see why people would brave a dungeon, though. The experience here was a great benefit, though. Either the creature’s higher levels or the fact that it was a dungeon was causing the experience to be higher than expected. He figured it was probably a bit of both.
Night Stalker (1)(Level 10) has Died.
You have gained 150 experience in Archery for killing Night Stalker (1)(Level 10).
You have gained 300 experience for killing Night Stalker (Level 10).
You have gained 300 experience for the death of Night Stalker (Level 10).
None of them had taken any damage in the confrontation, so they decided to keep moving forward. Arthur and Samson’s wounds were already healed up, and both were back to full health from their regeneration. Arthur was amazed at how much nicer it was to heal deep cuts and holes with a bit of poultice and a short amount of time. Back on Earth, it would have taken him some stitches and weeks worth of time to heal.
They made their way through the next tunnel, and as soon as they came to the next opening, they froze. Just like the other caverns, there were a few spots that light filtered in from the ceiling of the cave so they could see passably well. The problem was the creature that sat in the middle of the cave. There was a massive night stalker seated in the middle of the cavern. It had to stand six feet tall at its shoulders, and its teeth were the size of daggers. It had a beautiful white coat of fur on it.
To make matters worse, there were three other stalkers in the cave with it. Arthur decided now was a good time to do a quick scan of them.
Name: Night Stalker
Level: 10
Type: Beast
Rarity: Common
HP: 210/210
Stamina: 150/180
Strength: 5
Agility: 8
Endurance: 7
Experience: N/A
Skills
Combat Skills:
Rend: ? (???/???)
Slash: ? (???/???)
You have gained 100 experience in Scan for successful use against Night Stalker (Level 10).
Name: Primal Night Stalker
Level: 12
Type: Beast
Rarity: Boss
HP: 300/300
/> Stamina: 120/200
Strength: 7
Agility: 10
Endurance: 8
Experience: N/A
Skills
Combat Skills:
Rend: ? (???/???)
Slash: ? (???/???)
Fierce Blow: ? (???/???)
You have gained 120 experience in Scan for successful use against Primal Night Stalker (Level 12).
Congratulations, you have reached level 2 in Scan. You can now see the level of their first combat skill. Slowly working your way up.
“Holy shit, that’s the boss,” Arthur whispered.
“No shit? What else would it be?” Samson asked sarcastically.
Chapter 22
A Big Cat to Tame
“Alright, smartass. Now to figure out how to deal with it. You think you can go toe to toe with it while the rest of us take care of those adds?” Arthur asked.
Samson eyed the big cat skeptically. “I think I can hold it off for a bit, but I can’t do it with any of the other cats on me. I need you three to pull them off while I handle big girl one on one.”
“We can see it done, but be careful. Those teeth on that thing are huge, and I’m sure its claws aren’t much better.”
“Thanks for the pep talk. Do me a favor and don’t try it again.” Samson told him.
Arthur ignored his comment and turned to Allendria and Vana. “I’ll take the one on the left. Vana, you take the middle, and Allendria, you take the one on the right. We need to take them down as quickly as possible to help Samson. As soon as we engage, he is going to charge the boss and hold it by himself, so we need to take ours out as quick as possible.”
They both nodded in acknowledgment, and they all got in place. They each spread out, and Arthur counted to three in a low whisper. On three, all three of their attacks launched to their respective targets. Arthur was lost in the fight with his cat and didn’t pay attention to their attacks. His arrow had hit the cat he aimed at in the hind leg.
Dravincia Page 29