by V. A. Lewis
In short: it was uneventful.
The sun was rising over the horizon by the time I found myself walking up an incline. An orange glow was cast across the sky, and light once again entered the world; I was glad that I could finally see without any aid— I had lit a torchlight once I realized the cover of the dark would not hide me from the Monsters stalking through it. I tossed aside the burning wooden stick that was only kept alight by my magic, pre-casting it so there would be no need for a spell circle.
I continued hiking up the rocky hill for another hour or two, until the sun had fully risen into the sky, before I saw my first signs of life— other than the small group of antelopes I had seen going the other way. But in stark contrast to the four legged mammalian creatures, these ones were neither quadrupeds nor were they mammals.
They were octopeds and they were arachnids.
Half a dozen Crawlers— giant spiders standing at over five foot tall and nearly ten foot wide, with metal-like chitinous shells— stood at a flat surface above and ahead of me; some of them looked injured, missing a leg or even missing an eye, but that did not dissuade them from attacking me.
Unlike the Chimera which displayed the intelligence of a smart animal with some wisdom behind its actions, or the Horned Viper which was driven by its territorialism and emotion, these Crawlers showed no decision-making skills beyond pure instincts. They were quite clearly driven from their homes by something, and they were quite clearly hurt. And yet, they charged at me nonetheless.
They ran down the steep decline, unbothered by gravity itself, as they let out an echo of clicks. Some sort of war cry? A tactic for intimidation? To be honest, I found the giant spiders themselves much more unnerving than the sounds they made. They were spiders. I hate spiders!
I watched the Monsters come down at me, before taking a quick look around to ensure that no one was nearby. I saw a faint trail of a plume of smoke in the distance, but it was far and really small, so I assumed it was an old campfire or something of the like. I focused my attention back to the Crawlers, as they edged closer and closer to me.
Seeing this as a good chance to gain some experience, I decided to practice my Geomancy on these Monsters; nothing but earth was all around me, and unlike earlier, it was not soft dirt but hard rock and stone.
I felt at the mana in the ground, and began to cast a spell. I pulled small chunks of rocks away from the ground. From the boulders sitting in the distance. And from the mountain itself.
Tiny fragments of rocks broke apart from their main bodies, flying together, forming multiple spears of stone above my head. The Stone Spears looked fragile, fissured, like pieces of stone crudely put together to form a weapon. And yet, I knew they held firm. I knew they held strong.
Unlike the Frost Javelin, I could barely control where the Stone Spears went. But that was the nature of this spell. The former flew through the air at my command, gently changing its course to where I directed it, but the latter shot out like a bullet— straight at a target, not stopping lest it came into contact with something.
So I carefully aimed the first Stone Spear at one of the descending Crawlers. I judged the speed of the Monster, and fired off the projectile at where I thought it would be. The Stone Spear traveled at such high velocity, covering over a thousand feet in a second. It missed, striking just below where the Crawler would be— I had not only misjudged their descent, but also underestimated the pull of gravity weighing it down.
I sent a second one at another Crawler, correcting the spear’s trajectory to account for previous mistakes, but I missed yet again as the giant spider dodged out of the way. The Stone Spear crashed into the rock wall, shattering bits of rocks out, spraying it like shrapnel in all directions. It bounced harmlessly off the shells of the Crawlers of course, although it served as a distraction for me as it stopped one of them from noticing the projectile flying at it.
The force from the Stone Spear almost crushed the Crawler into the ground, being impaled through its large abdomen, spilling purple blood and ickor out and down the steep slope. I created more Stone Spears as I continued raining the projectiles up at them.
Almost a minute had passed since I saw them, but I had only managed to take two out with the half dozen Stone Spears I flung in their direction. The first Crawler finally came with striking distance to me. It leapt up in the air, mouth open revealing razor sharp teeth like a shark, mimicking what seemed like a snarl—
And a pillar of stone came up from beneath it. Striking it in the underbelly as it was mid jump, tossing it even further into the sky, turning, spinning, before it crashed down the hill behind me, broken by a group of sharp rocks jutting out of the ground. I repeated the tactic on a second Crawler, killing it in the exact same way, before the remaining two giant spiders caught on to what I was doing.
They stayed low on the ground, feeling for the slight trembling of the earth that happened just before I sent a Stone Spire up. And that allowed me to break the ground underneath them instead, creating a small pit they quickly tried to climb out of. But a dark shadow loomed over them as they reached the top. A large boulder, about a dozen feet in diameter hovered in the air above the pit. I released my hold over the naturally formed rock, dropping it down onto them.
The Crawlers were crushed under the weight of the boulder, squirming like a spider caught underneath a newspaper, before it stopped moving. With the last of the Monsters dead, I heaved a sigh.
That was my first time trying out two of those three spells: I had used Stone Spears before back when I was alone in the Free Lands, but I had only ever read about how to cast Stone Spire and Quick Pitfall. Perhaps the amount of time I spent studying it allowed me to learn it quickly in practice, or my control over magic was simply getting better. But it was undeniable that I was putting myself at risk by testing that out in a combat situation. Sure, I had a Wind Blade at the ready the entire time, but there was always the fear in the back of my mind that I might not react fast enough.
It was risky. Yet with more risk came more reward (or that was how the saying went). This was a good learning experience for me. There was no short-term gratification to this. I was not instantly rewarded for my efforts. It did not assure me that I could reliably cast these spells whenever, but it at least let me know I was capable of casting them when needed.
So that put me at ease. I took another quick look around, surveying the landscape, trying to see if anyone could have spotted what had happened. I saw nothing.
There was no one within a mile from where I stood, and I would have been obscured by the hills and rocks if someone was beyond that. The closest road was over ten miles away— I would not have even been a speck in the distance— while the treetops would have blocked the view of anyone closer. I was certain no one saw me.
I quickly glanced heavenward just to be absolutely certain (a stupid precaution predicated purely on paranoia) and was relieved to find no flying-men staring down at me, mouth agape. The sun was high enough now that the sky held a deep blue color, with not a cloud in sight. I shook my head, casting aside my worries before proceeding up to where I first spotted the Crawlers.
I had a feeling. A rough idea of what could have happened. And I was right.
There, I found an opening at the side of the mountain. A cave entrance. One that led to what should have been a natural habitat for various Monster species, but was instead turned into the home for creatures not from this world.
Abominations.
Chapter 16: Extermination
I stood right outside of the cave entrance, and I knew what lay within it. Dried blood painted the walls, while broken limbs, chitinous chunks, and corpses were scattered across the floor. A fight had happened here recently, but something told me this was not the first time the Crawlers tried to take back their home.
I glanced to the side and saw the remains of Abominations. Humans, Monsters, and animals were strewn about— all deformed by the blue bulbous protrusions of those terrible creatures. These
ones were dead, their sacs without their light, looking like deflated balloons sticking out of the dead bodies. Some were not connected to any bodies at all, hacked off, and lining the side of the cavern like a kind of cerulean moss.
I took a step into the cave, the sound of my footfall echoing throughout the natural antechamber. It was dark; the light of the sun only reached so far. I should have had a torch, but alas, my inexperience as a Hunter showed in my unpreparedness for this mission. I had to light a torch when I was in the forest— after realizing the shadow of the night would not hide me from any nocturnal Monsters— and now, I had no choice but to use magic.
I took a last look behind me, confirming that there was no one there, before I raised my hand. A spell circle momentarily flashed, and was replaced by a ball of light that illuminated the darkness of the hallway. I pressed on, further and further into the cave. Until all the brightness of day disappeared behind me, and all that shone was the Light spell above my head.
I continued down the naturally formed tunnel, stepping over the occasional body parts covered in the flesh-like blue bulbs, missing their signature yellow glow, having been severed or sprayed out into the floor. There were no corpses of unturned Monsters laying around here, only their trails of blood remained, as evidence that the once dead were dragged further into the cave. I clutched the hilt of my dagger, starting to get second thoughts about this mission.
I came here because I believed the Abominations would not attack me. And that might have been true in Bys, when that stranger in plate armor— one of the followers of that false god— watched over me. However, I knew not for certain if that would be the case now. Just as I started to reconsider my actions however, I turned the corner and came face to face with a group of Abominations.
Five shadows appeared at first, too far away for my light to reach them, yet their disembodied shapes could be clearly made out even so. I steeled myself, pulling out the short blade from my side, readying any number of spells to cast. The five Abominations got closer and closer, walking ever so slowly towards me, quite clearly approaching my direction.
I should have attacked them, but held off for a moment specifically because they were walking. I remembered the Abominations I had seen in Bys. They were no different than the ones I saw right now. And yet, those ran without showing any signs of exhaustion, with the intensity only a body that could not feel pain would allow. These on the other hand… lurched forwards.
So I did not attack. Not just yet.
They came closer and closer. I raised my dagger, bringing a shield up as they finally reached me—
And the Abominations continued past me. Ignoring me as if I were not there. I cocked my head to the side, as the five Abominations headed out of the cave, towards the sunlight.
...should I stop them?
I would stop them. Eventually. But I was curious about what they were doing. So I followed the Abominations, out to the mouth of the cave. And there, I saw the Abominations grab the dead Crawlers— not the ones I killed— and began dragging them back inside.
Once again, they walked past me. As if they were a group of laborers at a market, passing me by as they went about their work. I frowned as the Abominations continued walking, even as I walked amongst them, getting in their paths. This… was clearly unnatural. There was no doubt about it. But it was not unexpected.
I shrugged as I followed the Abominations further into the cave, past the point where I had first seen them. Let’s see where they’re going with this.
There was clearly some sort of nest or den for these Abominations further inside, and I was hoping they would lead me to it; I did not dare touching the Abominations just yet, out of fear that an attack would trigger a reaction, so I stayed out of their way although I followed close behind.
I was right to keep the Abominations alive, as the tunnel split into two paths, which would have forced me to choose one to follow; with the Abominations here to lead the way, I didn't even have to make a decision. However, just as I began down the corridor the Abominations went down, the light from my spell flashed into the other hallway, shining into a group of Vyrbats hanging off the ceiling.
The Monstrous bats reacted as bats normally did when exposed to something bright, and tried to fly away from the light source while squeaking. This attracted the attention of the Abominations, which spun around in an instant. There was a screech as the Abominations heard the noise, then ran back to me from their tunnel, around me, and down towards the other tunnel, chasing after the Vyrbats as they tried to flee.
Can Abominations not see? I decided to test whether the Abominations ignored me just because they couldn’t hear me.
"Um, hey?" I called out, preparing for any one of them to turn around to attack me. But the Abominations continued chasing after the Vyrbats.
Apparently, the Abominations had to have been able to see as well, since I saw one of the bats perch behind a stalactite without making a noise, but an Abomination still leapt up at it regardless. The Abomination covered the distance without much issue, showing once again its inhuman strength—
And smashed on the jagged rock.
The corpse— the body of the Abomination— seemed unharmed, yet the blue bulbs with their faint yellow glow exploded out. Almost like a tomato getting smashed with a hammer, except the tomato was blue in color instead. The Abomination dropped to the ground, not dead, but it moved significantly slower than the others now, with half of its bulbs gone.
Interesting, so the fewer bulbs an Abomination has, the weaker it gets? I’ll probably have to report that to the guild.
I continued watching the Abominations chase after the Vyrbats, until they were nearly out of sight. Realizing that they were probably not going to let up any time soon, I decided to carry out my final experiment, before they got away.
I raised a finger, pointing it at the closest Abomination. A small blue bolt of energy shot out from it, impacting the Abomination at the side, and splattering the blue sinuous flesh onto the cavern wall. I waited…
And the Abomination whirled around, screaming. The other four Abominations followed after it, copying the noises the first made which almost sounded like chirps. They charged at me with the same ferocity they directed towards the Vyrbats.
These Abominations. Demented beings. The perversion of life itself. Their bodies shifted, morphing into the shapes of weapons. Swords. Blades. One brought out scythe-like arms, another had a tendril as a whip. These terrifying creatures charged at me. Echoing their screams. Chittering their warcry—
A single Wind Blade sliced three of the Abominations in half, and a second one finished off the other two a few seconds later.
I sheathed my dagger, sighing. They really are fragile, aren’t they? Another thing I would have to tell the guild. Although I was certain that everyone probably knew that by now, better to be as thorough as possible in my report.
And then I continued further into the cave.
I found another group of Abominations further down. It was a bigger group. A dozen large. They did not attack me, which meant that the Abominations must not have some sort of telepathic hivemind between all of them; it was a possibility for other types of Abominations— something the Hunters Guild told me to watch out for— but now I confirmed that it was not for the regular Abominations.
I did not attack them. Instead, I continued observing them with my Light spell still out. These ones also went outside to collect some bodies, and I followed them once again. They had just stepped out into the sunlight to grab the remaining dead giant spiders when I saw a small round object drop in between them. I heard a clink, as it rolled for a second.
"Wha—" I barely managed to get the words out.
Then the object exploded. Electricity burst out of the object. A chain of lightning connected the nearest five Abominations, all of which were standing at the entrance of the cave. The remaining seven turned and charged out of the cave. The Abominations however, ran straight into the still flashing e
lectricity, shocking themselves and over fell one by one, like flies attracted to a bug zapper.
A figure stepped into the entrance of the cave. A round figure. Big bushy beard. Tanned skin.
It was Gennady.
The Dwarf glanced at me. At the Light spell floating by my side. Then he pointed.
"Hah, I knew you—"
He was cut off by the snare that bound his arms and legs. I sent the spell the instant my shock wore off, and he was now rolling on the ground cursing.
"What in the Hell, woman, why did you have to go and do that!"
"You—" I sputtered, pointing at him while grabbing my hood so it does not somehow fall off the side of my face, "You saw!" I raised my blade threateningly.
"Yes I saw!" the Dwarf yelled, struggling in his bindings. "And I also saw you kill those damned Crawlers out there with your magic!"
"But…" How? The question came out unsaid, as I merely mouthed the words. I made sure there was no one nearby; he could not have possibly seen it, unless he was hiding behind a rock. In which case, he had to have been trailing behind me the entire time. "When did you start following me? Why?" I asked, as he continued squirming on the floor.
"Follow you? I only just caught up!" Gennady exclaimed, rolling over to his stomach, trying to stand up as the magical chains wrapped around him from his legs to his chest. "I knew you were going to try and steal my job, like you did with the Chimera! I had the receptionist inform me if you came back and started asking questions about Abominations."
"So you did stalk me!"
"What? No!" Gennady shouted. "Are ye daft, lassie? I barely even woke up a few hours ago!"