“I can heal you,” I said, digging into my satchel for a proper first aid kit. “Just hang on.”
He weakly put a hand up and placed it on my neck. “If you save me, you invite It to return. I’ve burned every last Bloodpoint I had. My body is free for now. But…I will regenerate if I survive. I will change back.”
I nodded, glancing down at the knife in my hands. Normally Jace handled the cases when someone was beyond healing, but I understood the need to give greater mercies. “How can I stop it from happening to me?” I whispered, gripping the knife tightly.
“If I knew, I wouldn’t be lying here dying,” he replied with a weak laugh that turned into a spasmatic cough. “Just know this. It does not happen soon in the career. You have many years ahead of you. But rest assured, the change will happen one day. To you I say this, Venator. Do the most good you can with the power you have been given. The first moment when you begin to sense the change, put yourself out to pasture. That is the best result any of us can hope for.”
Chapter 35
I sat on the shoreline for some time, staring at the water without much of a thought in my head. There was no single Dread Beast. There were many. The idea that they were hunting Venators must have started when people realized the Dread Beasts and Venators did not occupy the same territory. But Venators weren’t just being hunted by Dread Beasts. They were transforming. Changing due to the twisted magics within us.
My injured leg was in the water to help with the swelling, but even as I sat motionless, merely staring forward, I could feel my bones begin to knit themselves back together. My regeneration powers were curing the critical injuries with ease. An hour ago, I would have been impressed and overjoyed about my newfound ability to walk after having my ankle destroyed in a fight. But the truth Jorman had revealed to me was disconcerting, to say the least.
“Did you know?” I asked the empty air beside me, wondering if Rashar was hiding his presence out of shame.
“How could I have?” Rashar asked. “My species…is not native to your world.”
I glanced beside me to see that the tigerman had manifested, sitting on the ground next to me. He looked weary and sad. “An entire race of humans condemned by our guidance. How fitting that I died at one of their hands.”
“So you came with the Titans,” I said. “But you wanted to help us?”
“Of course,” Rashar said. “We hunted in the old world and we wanted to hunt here too. Then we found your people, afraid and weak. So we taught our traditions and methods. If only we had known the magic would twist your people up like that.”
I glanced back at the silent corpse of Jorman. There was a single dagger buried in his eye, to ensure that he was truly dead after he had fallen silent. He would not return, I knew, if killed for good. But my heart still grieved for his loss all the same. He was no more a monster than I was. What I had seen was a mere glimpse of what was to come for me.
“I don’t know what to do,” I whispered, a few tears rolling down my cheeks. “After this fight, I was going to triumphantly come back home with plenty of ingredients, a monster corpse to put on my mantle and a plan to start recruiting a few new hunters. Now…now I can’t ask anyone else to take up this mantle. I’m alone. Alone and condemned.”
“The Venator walks a lonely path,” Rashar replied.
“And if they didn’t, they wouldn’t have all been eradicated by a seemingly endless supply of Dread Beasts,” I said. “Or maybe they could have realized they were all transforming and figured out some way to put a stop to it.”
Rashar said nothing for a moment. “Venators usually die in the field anyway,” he quietly remarked. “And you leave your house each day expecting not to return, correct?”
“I’m not so pessimistic,” I said. “But…yeah, I usually half-think that I’m not coming back.”
“So what has changed then? This is just another hazard of the job. Another obstacle for you to overcome or die to. Your bodies might not handle this magic so well, but the Sogorn species had no issue absorbing the Bloodpoints. Perhaps you must learn to take on our aspects as well somehow,” Rashar said.
I nodded and reflected on his words. What had changed? I had been ready to go to my death the first time I went to the surface to rummage around for food for my village. I had seen the journals of Venators who had not lived terribly long to even record many entries. Nothing changed from this revelation.
“You’re right,” I said. “This is just another obstacle to overcome. I can figure it out.”
“Excellent,” Rashar chuckled. “I am glad to hear that you aren’t so dismayed. You should savor this victory. Few Venators are clever enough to fight two monsters at once and walk away.”
I glanced at my ankle that was still healing itself. “Well, I’ll be able to walk away in a few more hours.”
“And what will do you do when you can get up?” Rashar asked.
“I’m going to kill that Titan wandering around,” I replied. “Mulrand will die. If I end up becoming some kind of horrible Dread Beast at the end of all this, then I better make my life really count right now.”
Rashar did not react to this statement. I wasn’t trying to appear tough or unflappable by stating this, of course. The fact was my heart had sunk quite low, and frankly I’d rather be busy fighting than thinking about what was heading my way. Anything would be a welcome distraction.
“Killing the Dread Beast past its prime, with great assistance from a hostile monster, is not a sign that you are ready for a Titan,” Rashar said. “And there is a great difference between heroic sacrifice and sheer dumbassery. Charging Mulrand now will be the end of you.”
“I know,” I said, sighing deeply. “But…what else can I do?”
“My vision of the future was far beyond this moment in time,” Rashar whispered. He reached his hand out and the water began to stir. “I have little power left,” he muttered. “But you must see what I have seen with your own eyes. You must have the hope that I have. The hope that has kept me sane in my solitude for so long.”
I sat up and leaned forward to watch as the water began to change, showing glimpses of people and figures upon the water, as if I were watching the lives of people within a mirror. I could see a brilliant building made of stone and brick, surrounded by other, smaller buildings. There were trees, animals and children everywhere.
Standing amongst the people were men and women wearing armor hewn from the skins of monsters. Some wore Kinru leather, while others were in entire outfits made out of Blackoak. I stood among them, pointing at something outside of the vision and speaking rapidly. It was so strange to see my own face and to watch my own expression as I clearly was instructing these Venators about something important.
“That’s me…” I whispered, adjusting my position so I could look even closer at this glimpse of the future. My face was beleaguered and worn, and I could see the scar on my face had not yet healed from being raked by the Ur-Harna. I gently touched the wound on my own face, feeling it throb a little, still tender to touch. “This isn’t too far, is it?”
“The details change. Someone else stood in your place before I saved you. Now, when I glimpse again, I see you leading them. When you almost died, a scar appeared on your face,” Rashar said. “The future is not written in stone, but in clay. We mold it as we wish, but something will always take shape. Still, while many details of my vision change, this village above ground does not. If you are to perish because of your life as a Venator, be it from a Dread Beast hunting you, or gods forbid, you becoming such a creature, is it not worth seeing people free to live under the sun once again?”
“More than anything,” I said, choking back tears. The people in this vision were so fat and healthy, so happy and energized. The children played on the ground as if no monster was coming for them. Merchants were selling wares in a market square. I had never seen anything so beautiful in my entire life.
“Thank you, Rashar,” I whispered, wiping a different kind o
f tear from my eyes. A tear of joy at what I had witnessed. “I have to make this village a reality. I’ll do whatever it takes.”
“Even recruiting?” Rashar asked. My eyes did not glance over to look at him, I was still entranced by the images of the Venators lined up, taking orders from me. They were green, for certain, but eager. Some bore scars of their own. The faces changed rapidly, sometimes to faces I recognized, sometimes to people who were strangers. Who would join was unfixed, apparently, but there would be volunteers. There would be men and women willing to undertake this cause, just to restore humanity to what it once was.
“Did any of the people in my generation even expect to reach 30?” I whispered, looking back at Rashar. To my surprise, he was gone. “Hey! Where’d you go?”
“I fear…that this is the end of our time together,” said my mentor, his voice disembodied, surrounding me. There was a great sorrow in his voice. A sadness of what was to come. “I wish that I could tell you that I have taught you all I have known, but we barely scratched the surface. I wish that I had not condemned you to a horrific transformation in the end, but I was ignorant of that.”
“Is there any way I can give you some of my power? My Bloodpoints so you can survive?” I asked.
“Survive? My dear Avery, I am already dead. I’ve been dead for a long time,” Rashar said. “I’ve spent everything I had to give you this last gift. A gift of sight and a gift of hope. It’s time for me to move on to a well-deserved rest. I fear your work is just now beginning.”
I was silent for a moment, unsure of what to say. Or how to say anything. Maybe if I had higher charisma, I could have said something smooth, but all I could utter was a weak thanks. “Thank you,” I whispered. “For everything you’ve taught me.”
“And thank you for taking your destiny by the horns, instead of running away,” Rashar replied, his voice growing weaker and thinner with each passing moment. “You’re on your own now, child. I wish you the very best.”
Chapter 36
My return to Olmstead was not triumphant, despite my success. A dark cloud hung over me as I made frequent trips back to the lake, gathering what ingredients I could from the lake monster. I had also brought Jorman’s body back for Dr. Jace to examine during an autopsy. The man had completely reverted to his human form, but I needed to be sure that he wouldn’t somehow regenerate. Yet, the idea of carelessly butchering a person like any other monster had been deeply unsettling. If anything was untoward about the man’s insides, Jace would have no issues taking care of the matter.
On the other hand, perhaps the doctor might be able to get some insight into the transformation process. Jace was an unusual man who enjoyed experimentation of all forms. I was often the sole voice of reason in the operating room, ensuring his more radical ideas weren’t carried out. Jorman’s final sacrifice would be giving his body to science, so Jace could learn all he could about what I would be facing in the future.
This wasn’t to say the doctor was thrilled about the prospect of my eventual transformation. The man, old and eccentric, was still like a grandfather to me in a lot of ways and he sobbed greatly about my news. Once the sorrow was over with, however, he took on a new attitude, one of focus and commitment. I found myself under the needle quickly, as he wanted some of my blood for testing.
“If you are going to change,” he had explained, “it’s probably happening already. Tissue samples and blood will help me figure this all out.”
I allowed him, of course, to take what he needed from me (except the teeth he wanted to pry from my mouth, of course) in the hopes that he would indeed find something out. Who knows? Jace was a wild card; sometimes the procedures he invented did work. If I was going to get through all of this, I needed to have hope, not only for the village but for myself.
There were some consolation prizes to this whole affair with the Dread Beast. The lake monster, known as an L’gara, had a plethora of ingredients to gather and the fact that its body was underwater meant I wouldn’t have to worry about scavengers picking off the remains. I could take my time in going back and forth, gathering the vitals and organs that would prepare me for my next fight, whatever that might be.
Harvesting the large beast granted me a sweet 2,400 Bloodpoints, more than enough for me to take some of the more expensive acrobat abilities. Safe Fall III was incredible; the ability to land from 40 feet safely was invaluable, especially considering how often I was moving about in high places. 1,000 Bloodpoints wasn’t a cheap investment, but it would be worth the cost.
In addition to improving my acrobatics skill once again, I decided to invest in both Tier one tracker abilities I had left. My home territory was just about clear at this point, meaning that I’d be traveling outside of the area to continue the hunt. This meant journeys would be longer and tracking might be much, much harder. A better sense of smell and the On the Trail ability would allow me to keep on a beast, even if I was interrupted during the hunt by some other pressing needs. At 300 points total, it wasn’t a bad deal to finish off the first Tier and see what unlocked for Tier 2.
Tracker Tier Two:
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Know Your Enemy: Clues and trails now have a chance of revealing an enemy weakness
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Tracker’s Instincts: After analyzing a trail, you are able to deduce the monster’s sleeping patterns, native habitat and position on the food chain
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Darkvision: When on a trail, gain the ability to see in the dark until the monster is located.
I stared at these options as I moved back and forth between the village, making six trips total before I was finished with transporting the ingredients I could salvage from the L’gara. Out of these three abilities, I liked the Tracker’s Instincts. Getting an insight on what I would be facing with details about its sleep patterns, where it nested and how strong it was before reaching it would allow me to make better decisions when navigating unfamiliar territory. And frankly, anything outside of the Zinoss Jungle would be extremely unfamiliar to me. I purchased Tracker’s Instincts, bringing me down to 850 Bloodpoints.
It would be a good idea to save these extra Bloodpoints for later. I had to get out of the habit of spending everything I had each time I gained points, because Tier 4 abilities were going to cost 2,500 each. Unless I always fought high level enemies, I’d never be able to afford the spectacular powers offered to me by the fourth Tier. So, I decided to pocket those 850 for later, to save up for advancing my abilities even more.
I staggered home—well, to the workshop that I now called home in Olmstead. My leg had healed itself back up to where I could walk just fine, but I was still sore and weary from all the fighting, the running and the harvesting. I glanced at my Home Territory vision to see what was left in Zinoss for me to fight.
Monsters in Zinoss Jungle
Mulrand: 1
“Only monster in town is the Titan,” I sighed, collapsing into the cot that was behind the alchemy lab. “Now if only I was strong enough to kill it.” The words of Rashar echoed in my mind, about recruitment. About my part in bringing humanity back to the surface. Asking others to take on the mantle of Venator was asking them to agree to the same fate as Jorman, to one day fall prey to a nightmarish transformation. But…if volunteers knew this up front, would they reject it? Would I have said no?
The fact was, I had been willing to do whatever was necessary to take care of my people. If I had known these incredible powers would put me on a path of transformation, I still would have taken them. I glanced at my Hunter’s Profile, looking at just how much I had changed and improved in such a short amount of time.
Avery Lorn
Stats
Skills
Traits and Abilities
Health: 70%
Strength: 1
First Aid: 5
Clean Retrieval
Mana: 50
Dexterity: 3
Stealth: 1
Dodge Reflex
Total Bloodpoints: 9,655
>
Intelligence: 4
Tracking: 5
Light Step
Current Bloodpoints: 850
Perception: 2
Ranged Weapons: 6
Archer’s Eye
Firnin Points: 0
Charisma: 1
Navigation: 4
Safe Fall (40 ft)
Estoan Points: 0
Equipment:
Trapping: 3
Fast Movement
Kaos Points: 0
Bone Bow
Slots: Weak Fire Affinity
Acrobatics: 6 (7 -1)
Search I
Light Scale Leather Armor
Slots: 2
Alchemy: 4
Pit Trap Blueprint
Blackoak Greaves
Slots: 1
Piercing Shot
Spells
Blackoak Vambraces
Slots: 1
Home Territory
Dazzle
3 Iron Crossbows
Slots: 1
Skilled Extraction
Phantom Sound
Perfect Balance
Weak Elemental Affinity
Acrobatic Training
Return Arrows
Magician
Physiological Examination
Enhanced Mixtures
Focus Breaker
Rapid Shot
Mystic Recovery
Snare Trap
Advanced Beartrap
Leap
Recognizable Scent
On the Trail
Tracker’s Instincts
Monster Hunting 101: A LitRPG Fantasy Adventure (Titan Termination) Page 23