I looked up at the tree where the beetle had been resting. Had it managed to drag the corpse of the Fitzon up there? Or had the tentacles grabbed the monster’s meal before it had a chance to get back to its nest? My eyes glanced back at the water. The tentacles of that creature below were long enough to reach just about anywhere in the area. I could investigate the tree and find the remains of my first kill, or I could just go home with what I had.
Walking with caution, I slowly made my way across the pathway near the water. The beetle had been safe in the trees, right? If I kept quiet and didn’t make much of a disturbance, I’d be fine. And so, I moved silently, making full use of my stealth skills to keep the pressure off my feet with each step. These trees were fairly thick, but there were copious amounts of vines growing down the sides of them, making climbing an easy task.
I slipped up the trunk and branches, searching high and low for the nest of the beetle, all the while staying as quiet as possible. The waters did not stir once as I searched. Over time, I felt safe enough to be a little louder, moving just a bit faster between tree to tree. There was still no response. Perhaps the monster could not hear very well. The shrieking of the beetle had been enough to capture the water monster’s attention, but the noise I had been making did nothing. The reason it wouldn’t attack at this range was most likely because it could not hear this far.
As I climbed an especially tall tree, my eyes began to water. A foul wind blew in my direction and I gagged for a moment, before realizing that this was a good thing. This was the stench of the dead Fitzon and it was close. I followed the direction of the wind, moving across the longest tree limb I could find. The smell grew more intense until, finally, I spotted the source.
At the top of a mighty kapok tree was a huge hole, one that looked as if it had been burned open. Inside of the hole was the corpse of the Fitzon, as well as piles upon piles of bones. I was quick to investigate, making a running jump all the way to the branch closest to the hole, then dropping down into the carved out area.
The stench was even worse up close and, for a second, I considered putting on the Fitzon Charm just to make my nausea go away. But I might still need my strength in case of some other predator nearby. Instead, I merely approached the body and looked at the damage. The Fitzon was well preserved and the beetle had not taken to eating it just yet. There was some deterioration to the fleshy, grub-like body of the worm due to the heat of the jungle but, otherwise, the specimen was well-kept.
I peered out of the hole and down at the ground. The beetle had dragged the corpse so high up that I had no chance of getting it back down. I’d need a full team as well as some pulleys to get the body back to ground level.
“That’s just great,” I grumbled, looking back at the corpse. There were plenty of things to harvest within the Fitzon, but I only had a few field tools with me for extraction. The workshop had better equipment for this kind of work, but I didn’t have many other options at this point. I’d have to just take what I could carry. Thanks to the amulet, I’d be able to at least carry enough to make a few potions. Perhaps I’d be able to make something to help me against the monster in the water.
Chapter 13
I returned to the workshop completely alone. Resting in my backpack were six organs, each one nearly the size of my head. They were heavy and had slowed me down considerably on my way back to the workshop. Worse yet, the stench of the organs were so unbearable that just about everyone in the village quickly retreated upon seeing me. As far as they knew, I had simply been scouting for some essential supplies for the doctor and, thankfully, Jace’s experiments were strange enough to where this did not seem out of the ordinary. The smell, just like the occasional explosion from his laboratory, could be chalked up to Jace’s eccentricities.
Entering the workshop, I found a small bottle of water and a few pieces of jerky set on a table for me. Eating was the last thing on my mind right now and I grimaced at the sight of the food. The water was welcome to my thirsty lips, however. I took the bottle and swigged it as I threw the backpack onto the floor. It was time to get to work.
Following the instructions perfectly, I began to alchemically distill the organs, turning them into either essential salts or liquid. The process was fairly easy, requiring the use of cauldrons, alembics, retorts and furnaces in a kind of rhythm. As I worked, creating ingredients, a notification appeared in my vision. Alchemy Tier One Unlocked . I grinned at those words. I didn’t know that I could acquire skillsets outside of what was available in my class progression, but it appeared I was wrong.
As I finished putting the last of the liquids into a bottle, another prompt appeared, showing me the results of my crafting session.
Distillation Complete!
Fitzon Yield:
Firnin: 20 points
Estoan: 10 points
Lab Bonus: 0
Weakness Revealed:
Acid Gland: This gland, located underneath the right mandible, produces 90% of the Fitzon’s acidic bile. Damaging will disable acid production, rendering the spray attack impossible unless at extreme close ranges.
My eyes lit up at the sight of this weakness. I didn’t realize that alchemy would also help me learn about my foes like that. Combined with my Archer’s Eye ability, this would make fighting future Fitzons much easier.
I turned my attention back to the Alchemy section of the Hunter’s Sight, looking for what recipes I could now craft. The amount of points gained was rather scant, allowing me to only access the Level 1 potions, which cost a flat 30 points across the board. Infusions cost 100 points per level, meaning that right now I’d only be able to make one potion total. I glanced at the recipes to check what was possible.
Swift Feet:
Cost: 20 Firnin, 10 Estoan
Duration: 6 hours
Effects: Increases the imbiber’s running speed by 100%.
Nighthawk:
Cost: 20 Firnin, 10 Estoan
Duration: 2 weeks
Effects: Grants imbiber night vision.
Accelerated Healing:
Cost: 20 Firnin, 10 Estoan
Duration: 1 hour
Effects: Grants two months of physical recovery within an hour
Side Effects: Cannot walk while potion is working.
Minor Stat Enhancement:
Cost: 30 points from any combination of Firnin and Estoan
Duration: 8 hours
Effects: Grants +2 to a stat of your choice for 8 hours. Will not stack with multiple uses.
Immunity Cocktail:
Cost: 20 Firnin, 10 Estoan
Duration: 8 Hours
Effects: Prevents Nausea, Blindness, Paralysis, and Madness effects from affecting you.
Fury of the Beast:
Cost: 20 Firnin, 10 Estoan
Duration: 5 minutes
Effects: Doubles Strength and Dexterity, and increases weapon strength
Side Effects: Become disoriented for 5 minutes after potion wears off.
This was quite a list. I only had one option for now, but I wasn’t sure what I would be facing next. Before I made a decision of what to make, I’d need to determine who my next target would be. Clearly, my first option would be to go after that larger beast lurking in the waters. I could read through the bestiaries and determine the nature of the creature, if not its very identity. But even if I could identify the beast, would I be able to kill it? Or was I just wasting time?
My second choice was to go out scouting and look for targets. There were plenty of Kinru and Fitzons in the jungle. Hunting a few of them down would make hunting bigger creatures easier, as I wouldn’t have to worry about the scavengers showing up after I took down my prey. I could do with making the physical bonuses of my Kinru Charm permanent as well.
Either way, I had 600 Bloodpoints added to my bank due to the Food Chain Bonus. It was time to increase my skills a bit more, and perhaps unlock a Tier 2 ability. I sat at one of the tables and focused, bringing up the Hunter’s Profile menu
.
Trapper Tier One:
-
Pit Trap Blueprint: Allows for the creation of a camouflaged pit trap.
-
Snare Trap Blueprint: Allows for the creation of rope snares
-
Trapsetter I: Increases speed of crafting and trapping by 50%.
Archer Tier One:
-
Swift Hands I: Load arrows faster
-
Long Shot: Increases Bow Range by 25 feet.
Tracker Tier One:
-
Recognizable Scent: Improves sense of smell
-
Search I: Clues to monster identity will glow
-
On the Trail: The longer a monster is tracked, the easier it will be to track them at a later time.
Navigator Tier One:
-
Fast Movement I: Decreases travel time by 20%
-
Cartography: Unlocks the Mapmaking ability.
Acrobat Tier One:
-
Leap: Grants a running jump distance of 20 feet.
Acrobat Tier Two:
-
Safe Fall II: Can fall 20 feet without injury
-
Perfect Balance: Cannot lose footing on surface as long as it remains mostly stable
-
Acrobatic Training I: Can backflip, roll and swing with ease.
Alchemy Tier One:
-
Skilled Extraction: Increases yield by 1.5
-
Physiology Examination I: Learn 1 additional weakness per Distillation
-
Enhanced Mixtures: Potion durations increase by 50%.
So many options at hand. The second Tier of the Acrobat options was interesting, but nothing really caught my eye just yet. Perfect Balance would be nice later on but, for now, I’d rather continue shoring up my first level options. Sitting on 700 Bloodpoints in total meant I’d be unlocking four abilities. The Alchemy options were nice, but still not quite what I was looking for. I’d love to be able to harvest more ingredients from defeated monsters, but I’d still need to defeat them first.
It would make the most sense to continue rounding out my skillset, taking more of the first Tier abilities. The first of this would be the Pit Trap Blueprint. As an archer, trapping an enemy in a pit would bring a tremendous advantage, as I’d be able to shoot them from a safe place. The second ability was Search I, allowing me to spot clues more easily. I had access to this library now, so I could study up on the movements and markings of these creatures. The Hunter’s Sight would then make those signs glow in my regular vision, making tracking a breeze.
For my third ability, I would pick Long Shot. The ability to shoot further meant I’d have more time to snap off a few attacks on a charging enemy. Plus, in conjunction with my trap knowledge, I’d be able to lure enemies from significantly further away, leading monsters into multiple traps before they could reach me. Definitely a good combination.
Cartography was a curious ability for there was no description of what it did. Rashar was not around to instruct me in this matter. Perhaps this was just a simple map-making skill. If that were the case, I’d rather not take it. It would be better to wait and talk to Rashar about it before wasting my precious points. So, instead, I took Fast Movement, which would help me move a little faster across the world.
I made these selections and then looked at my Hunter’s Profile, smiling wide at the signs of my progress.
Avery Lorn
Stats
Skills
Traits and Abilities
Health: 87%
Strength: 2 (1+1)
First Aid: 5
Clean Retrieval
Mana: 0
Dexterity: 4
Stealth: 1
Dodge Reflex
Total Bloodpoints: 1,305
Intelligence: 3
Tracking: 2
Light Step
Current Bloodpoints: 100
Perception: 2
Ranged Weapons: 3
Archer’s Eye
Firnin Points: 20
Charisma: 1
Navigation: 3
Safe Fall (10 ft)
Estoan Points: 10
Trapping: 2
Fast Movement
Kaos Points: 0
Acrobatics: 2
Search I
Pit Trap Blueprint
Everything was coming together. I felt stronger, centered and more capable than ever before. My eyes glanced over at the volumes of books that were resting upon the newly built bookshelves that Cranston had put up. It was time to pick my next target. The road to a Titan would be long, but it was a journey I was more than ready for.
Chapter 14
The clicking in the distance was a sound I recognized all too well. Kinru. Three of them in total, moving and hunting as a pack. I had been tracking them down for more than a few hours. Their pace was quick, as if they were on the scent of something delicious for dinner. Kinru hunted in packs, but only until they took down their prey. Then, it was a fight for dominance amongst the Kinru until one was able to scare off the others. They did not share, ever. Each one, out for their own good, treating their allies as nothing more than a means to an end. Selfish beasts.
I had learned this fact from a few of the journals I had been reading. Much to my surprise, every few chapters or so of a book, I would be prompted to spend Bloodpoints in order to absorb the knowledge presented. Each prompt cost 50 points, meaning that if I wanted to incorporate the information I was learning into the Hunter’s Sight, I’d need to sacrifice Bloodpoints for the transfer. I didn’t understand this at first, but having an extra hundred Bloodpoints in my possession, I figured I’d at least try it out.
The difference between reading a book and gaining knowledge through the Hunter’s Sight were night and day. Reading gives you information, sure, but you still have to recall it, apply it and constantly refer to it in order to really get an understanding of the subject. Paying the Bloodpoints, however, gave me access to a brand new part of the Sight, showing me entries of the monster I had been studying.
Kinru
Description: A violent and savage bipedal beast, the Kinru hunt in packs, but have no loyalty to one another. They will run at the first sign of real danger, though some are so easily distracted by their prey that they will run headlong into trouble without noticing.
Attacks: Kinru rely on chasing prey for long periods of time, to burn their victim’s energy for easier kills. Their claw attacks might not seem dangerous at first, but their ability to charge and cut will overwhelm you if you are not ready. Some have learned to climb trees and surprise their prey from above. Entry 1/3
Weaknesses: Kinru rely on mobility more than anything. Damage to their legs will slow them down and may force the less courageous ones to abandon their attack. Entry 1/5
The two entries that really gave me something of value were the attacks and weaknesses. It was a little disheartening to have to pay for this knowledge, but I could recall these facts perfectly. I could, at any moment, quote the entire entry word for word, without looking. That was worth the price alone. And besides, 50 Bloodpoints were not so bad, not when I would learn valuable, life-saving insight.
This realization had modified my plans to kick back and read for a few days. Studying without spending Bloodpoints would take significantly more time, since I would have to really memorize the information. Forgetting a single fact could end my life and I couldn’t take that risk. So, I spent what I had on the most familiar prey I had fought, the Kinru, and decided to clear out a pack of them for points and ingredients.
Knowing that finding a solitary Kinru was relatively rare, I opted to brew the Swift Feet potion. This would give me the speed to move away from them in short bursts. Since the tracks were only ten minutes old, I had consumed the speed potion, just to see how it felt. The duration was six hours, more than enough time to hunt this pack, hopefully.
The potion had some strange effects on me; I grew fidgety and couldn’t quite sit still. It was as if my entire body was alight with electric energy and I had to move. I could run incredibly fast, though, probably as fast as a Kinru when charging. But I learned an important lesson early on: the potion increased my speed, but not my physical stamina. I still grew winded after a bit of hard sprinting, the only difference being that my distances were greater than before. I wasn’t able to run infinitely this way.
As I pondered the idea of finding some way to increase my stamina, there came a violent series of clicking from the bushes ahead of me. It was the rapid, hungry clicking of Kinru that have finally found their prey. I was quick to rush forward, following the trail as quickly as I could go without making much noise. My feet practically glided across the ground, moving so fast that I had a little trouble controlling my turns, narrowly avoiding the trees as they passed me by.
I emerged from the grove to find a large clearing, one that had been made by the Titan’s steps. The trees were all snapped and strewn aside, broken as if they had been mere toothpicks. The Titan was long gone, but there were other monsters around. Three Kinru, with slick grey scales and long, thrashing tails, were currently stalking the area, moving in a circle around the one tree that somehow had not fallen over. It was a skinny palm tree and something was at the top, holding on to the trunk for dear life.
“Help!” the distant figured shouted at the top of her lungs as I emerged from the tree line and into view. “You! Help me!” It was a woman! A young woman, perhaps the age of 25 or so, holding onto the side of the tree with all of her might. She was wearing thick clothes covered in grass, a tool for camouflage. There were no weapons at her side or in her hands. She was in serious trouble.
Monster Hunting 101: A LitRPG Fantasy Adventure (Titan Termination) Page 8