by C E Keene
Higrem’s expression read as bored, but he jerked his thumb toward a side room before going back to his bragging. Arheis headed that way before he could be pulled into the conversation, weaving past the tables and chairs and ducking underneath the massive tusks of the Nepondus Queen that were mounted just above the doorway.
Zindar was inside, just like Higrem said. Arheis’ very first companion in the game—and the person who’d saved his life—was a Pruvari, a humanoid race with the features of a lynx. Zindar was a spotted silver color, his fur visible in patches beneath his clothing. He was lithe, lean, and a bit on the short side, with his snow leopard-esque tail nearly the same length as his legs. Tufted ears betrayed the Pruvari’s every emotion, and right now he looked to be in deep concentration, his arm raised, the bracer on his wrist glowing.
“Anything else?” a short, squat man Arheis recognized as the Guild Curator asked impatiently.
“Nothing solid,” Zindar said, his ears pinned against the sides of his head. “I told you the information wouldn’t be exhaustive.”
“Yes, yes,” the curator said, waving him off. “That’s fine. It’s more than we started with.”
The glowing ceased, the futuristic device returning to its normal metallic coloring. Arheis didn’t know much about the Pruvari, but Zindar had told him the bracer was how they communicated with the beast spirits they harnessed, and how they stored generations’ worth of Pruvari knowledge about people, places, and beasts.
“Not to be greedy, but…” Zindar’s ears quirked as he looked at the Curator expectantly.
“I can credit you with 15 Guild Points for this information, and…” he looked over the book where he’d obviously transcribed what Zindar told him, “150 GC.”
“That seems a little low,” Arheis said, announcing his presence.
Both Zindar and the Curator turned to face him. The Pruvari gave him a fanged grin, but the Curator seemed less than enthused.
“20 points,” he countered, “but you’re not getting more than that.”
As soon as the words left the man’s mouth, a system message appeared in Arheis’ vision:
> You have learned Haggle. Negotiate with merchants, blacksmiths, and Guild Curators to “adjust” the price of items and the amount of credits involved in a transaction. This ability’s success is tied to your Charisma.
Arheis had no idea if his new skill had earned the Pruvari a fair number or not, but the Curator seemed inclined to low-ball them when it came to rewards. Zindar didn’t seem to think it was worth haggling any more though, as he extended his hand to shake on the deal.
The Curator counted out the credits, recorded the points in his book, then snapped the massive tome shut. He hefted it under one arm, waddling back into the main hall and leaving Arheis and Zindar alone in a room that was lined with shelves, all of them full to bursting with tomes and scrolls.
Arheis’ brows lifted in question. “What was that about?”
“Ah,” Zindar gave him a sheepish smile, “sneaking in a few more points. I was hoping to rank up today, but it doesn’t seem like that’s going to happen without a bounty.”
While Mira was deeply suspicious of the Guild, Zindar still seemed to almost revere the institution, if not the Hunters within it. It was incredibly rare for Pruvari to hunt beasts, though, and as far as Zindar knew, he was the only one of his race even on the books. It wasn’t hard to see why he’d want that recognition, for his people as well as his own validation. Arheis certainly wasn’t going to stand in the way of that.
“Haven’t seen any of those come in, have you?”
Zindar shook his head. Things had been slow in Lacerda since the Queen’s defeat. The bounties that had come in were all small things, and he’d felt bad about depriving brand new Hunters the opportunity to rank up when it would’ve given him and his friends so little XP comparatively.
He strongly considered asking Zindar to venture out into the jungle with him just to see what trouble they could get into, but providence intervened.
“I want that thing killed,” a man’s voice carried through the Hall, filled with venom, “I don’t care how you do it, just so long as it’s slow and painful. It doesn’t deserve any mercy. Gods know it didn’t show any to my Elsa.”
Arheis exchanged a look with Zindar, and the two headed out into the main hall to find a man Arheis had seen around the village, but couldn’t put a name to. He seemed to recognize them, as well, because the moment they entered the room, his gaze seized on Arheis.
“You killed the Nepondus Queen, didn’t you? You can handle one miserable Morditul.”
Arheis searched his memory. There were a lot of beasts in this newest version of Apex that were foreign to him, and this was one of them. He had no idea if it was more than his party could handle, or if it would end up being a cakewalk like the bounties they’d passed on.
He looked to Zindar for guidance, but the Pruvari was already answering the man’s plea: “We’ll do it.”
“If you want to post a bounty, you’ll have to do it through official—”
The Curator was all but ignored as the man reached his hand out to shake Zindar’s. “Make sure that beast suffers. That’s all I ask. You bring me its head, and two thousand credits are yours.”
Despite Zindar being the one to initiate the quest, the window popped up for Arheis, as well:
> Guild Bounty: A Father’s Vengeance
A local man wants to see a certain Morditul slain. He’s called for the beast’s head as proof. Find and slay it, then return with the head to receive your reward.
Quest Level: 7
Reward: 2000GC and 488 XP
Hold up. Level 7? Arheis had only just hit level 4 thanks to the stragglers from the Queen’s brood. Apex had never been shy about throwing in special quests that couldn’t easily be completed at a player’s current level, but this was his first time seeing one in Untamed.
Pulling Zindar aside, he decided it was better to be safe than sorry. “Can we even take on a Morditul?”
“It will be difficult,” the Pruvari confirmed, though his eyes practically danced with excitement, “but you were looking for a challenge, right?”
Well, he couldn’t argue with that. And maybe with the three of them—four if they could find Galen, though it seemed doubtful—it wouldn’t be so bad.
Arheis grinned at his friend, clapping him on the shoulder. “Right.”
It seemed their drought was about to end.
2
Before he did anything else, Arheis took a private moment to review his Character panel while Zindar was otherwise occupied getting supplies. Menus in Apex weren’t especially abundant, and he’d chosen to hide a lot of system messages, but pulling everything to the forefront of his vision was still just a thought away.
As he concentrated on the panel, it appeared in his vision:
> Status:
Name: Arheis
Title: Queenslayer
Level: 4
Guild Rank: 6
Class: Guardian
Quests Completed: 9
Active Quests: 2
Deaths: 1
Currency: 12,400GC
The next page detailed his reputation, but Arheis moved straight to his Character sheet, just to make sure he hadn’t left any points unspent.
> Stat Sheet:
Health: 120
Stamina: 150
Mana: 110
Morale: 100
Strength: 8
Agility: 13
Constitution: 12
Endurance: 15
Charisma: 8
Intelligence: 11
Fortitude: 15
Bond: Amira Alvaro
The system hadn’t alerted him to any unspent skill or ability points. Upon reaching level 4, he’d dumped both of those points into Endurance to make it a solid 15. Strength and Charisma lagged way behind now, but he hadn’t really found cause to need either beyond the human average.
Maybe later down th
e line, if Apex had a soft cap on skill gains. For now, he was happy with his choices. His build reflected his class and the stats he most needed to defend his companions. That was enough for him.
When it came to abilities, though, Arheis’ were wide and varied. He’d even unlocked a new one in the Guild Hall. Though he was certain he’d spent his ability points to rank up, he examined his spread anyway, taking stock of the tools he had at his disposal.
It’d been a while since he’d had a proper hunt, after all. He needed to be prepared.
> Unlocked Abilities:
Sneak
Precision Strike - Rank 1
Iron Guard
Strike
Tracking - Rank 1
Shield Bash - Rank 1
Cooking
Hunter’s Perception
Counter-Thrust
First Aid - Rank 1
Provoke - Rank 1
Preparation
Mediate
Rend
Javelin
Dauntless Guard - Rank 1
Supercharged Shield Bash
Leadership
Haggling
> Bond Abilities:
Guardian’s Sacrifice (Amira)
He’d tried to add a point to Guardian’s Sacrifice, but it was apparently tied to some other ranking system that would likely increase if and when his bond with Mira increased. In the end, he’d decided to put one point into Provoke—allowing him to hold a beast’s attention for longer after using the ability—and one point into Dauntless Guard, reducing the mana cost and cooldown on the ability, which let him channel mana into his shield to fully block an otherwise unblockable attack.
At this point, the list of abilities was already unwieldy. In the old Apex games, he hadn’t thought much about it. Using abilities had become muscle memory; a series of button pushes and then motion-controlled actions. It was harder in this fully-immersive state, but the more he used them, the more they became second nature.
Which was exactly why he needed to get out there and hunt that Morditul.
Closing the Character panel, he waded into Lacerda’s bustling marketplace. This time of day, many of the villagers and even those passing through were shopping for food, supplies, and baubles. He scanned the colorful stalls until he saw the flash of silver fur and moved to approach his friend.
“I don’t think that’s on the supply list,” he said, amusement playing on his features as Zindar exchanged some credits for a meat pie.
The Pruvari grinned sheepishly at him, displaying the hint of sharp teeth. “It should be. How can we be expected to fight a Morditul on an empty stomach?”
Zindar paid for two more pies, wrapping the steaming bundles in cloth to keep them warm. One he handed to Arheis, who tucked it away for now, despite the tantalizing smell of stewed meat and buttery crust. The other he held onto, presumably for Mira.
“Do you think Galen will come with us? Should I get one for him?”
That was a good question.
Arheis had seen neither hide nor hair of the elf in days. He’d considered asking the innkeeper at the Hackleback to check on him, but didn’t want to intrude. Galen’s research into the crystal they’d found—the one that had caused the Nepondus Queen to act strangely in the first place—was necessary. Arheis had the gut feeling it was the thread that bound all of this together.
“I doubt he’ll join us, but maybe just in case? You can always save it for later if he doesn’t.”
Zindar’s face lit up at the promise of more pies. The Pruvari hurriedly paid the credits and wrapped the fourth pie just as carefully as he’d wrapped the other three.
“Need me to get the other supplies?” Arheis asked diplomatically.
“Oh, I got them.” Zindar carefully tucked the pies away in his satchel, then pulled out two vials Arheis recognized as healing potions, a third vial with a viscous yellow liquid inside, a folded up net, and a spiky thing that almost looked like a petrified sea anemone.
“What is that?” Arheis asked, uncertain about putting out his hand to receive it.
“It’s a shock-rock.” The Pruvari grinned at him like a kid on Christmas morning. At Arheis’ eyebrow-raise, he explained. “Actually, it’s a fossilized Petralsa, but everyone calls it a shock-rock. There’s still enough electrical charge that you can use it for a quick burst. You just have to strike it.”
Interesting. Arheis held out his gloved hand and took the thing, which was much lighter than he expected. He tucked the vials and net into his belt, but the “shock-rock” he decided to wrap and place in his pack.
Better safe than writhing on the ground as electrical current arced through his body.
“Just for general use, or…?”
Zindar shook his head. “Morditul hunt in the water. My spirit can keep it on land by electrifying the surface of the lake, but I’d rather have a backup plan. They can be tough.”
Sound reasoning. Arheis nodded, then fished out 200GC, offering it to the Pruvari.
“This is way more than everything costs,” Zindar said.
But Arheis was firm, and didn’t relent until his companion took the offered credits. He’d gone through the trouble of braving the market. The least Arheis could do was pay a little extra.
“What’s the yellow liquid, anyway?” he asked as they headed away from the market and toward the healers’ encampment.
“Oh, it’s supposed to give you more energy.” He got that faraway look in his eyes that Arheis recognized was Zindar communing with his ‘spirit’—the Fulcorn tied to his device. “My spirit says it’s made from Morditul scrotum.”
Arheis made a face, his stomach instantly souring. Drinking liquefied scrotum really wasn’t his idea of a good time. And just thinking about the process to make it? He shuddered violently.
Zindar practically cackled, his tail swishing happily behind him. It took Arheis a moment to realize he’d been played.
“Ass,” he said, giving his friend a shove.
“What?” Zindar’s eyes practically glimmered with amusement. “That’s exactly what he said.”
Before they could get into a discussion of whether it was Zindar or his Fulcorn spirit in possession of a dodgy sense of humor, they arrived at the encampment. Mira—who’d had a hard time looking him in the eye earlier—focused her attention on the Pruvari.
“You look pleased with yourself. Find something to do?”
“And someone to torment with images of pureed Morditul scrotum,” Arheis muttered.
She wisely chose not to ask, and Zindar filled her in on the bounty. Arheis saw the trepidation that flickered across her brown eyes. The Guild wasn’t exactly her favorite organization, and in the past she’d rejected their credits just on principle.
This time she said, “Well I suppose someone has to make sure you two come back alive.”
Arheis felt a fluttering sensation low in his belly when her gaze fell very pointedly on him. Strange, as he was the only one here who couldn’t die. Not in the traditional sense, anyway. The fact that she knew that and was worried about him anyway was touching.
Pushing that emotion down as something he could unpack later, Arheis jerked his chin toward the gates, and the three of them set off.
Zindar led, having mentioned the creature they were looking for would probably be found in a lake. While it was nice to have a walking map, Arheis would be glad for the day he could actually contribute to the navigation. That would probably also be the day all three of them were completely lost in the middle of a beast-infested wasteland, but still.
“What are we looking for?” he prompted as they trudged through the undergrowth. “In terms of tracks, I mean.”
“Long, parallel lines,” Mira said, motioning with her hands. “Like the kind a cart would make.”
“Spare teeth stuck in the mud, too,” Zindar added.
“Spare” teeth…? Arheis couldn’t help but think of the x-ray he’d seen once in some creepy article about how human adult teeth were alwa
ys there, growing in the skull, waiting for the baby teeth to get out of the way.
He shuddered again. This was just going to be a day of grossing himself out, apparently.
As the jungle surrounding Lacerda gave way to what Arheis would have almost described as wetlands, though, he began to see the things his companions had mentioned.
“Are these Morditul tracks?”
He crouched near a series of deep gashes in the ground that were almost perfectly parallel. They’d left divots in the mud that still hadn’t filled in, despite the recent rain.
> Discovered: Morditul Tracks
Morditul do not move like normal quadrupeds when on land. Instead, they use their forelimbs to drag themselves forward, the razor edge of their under-plates often leaving deep gashes in the earth as they do so.
“Good eye,” Zindar said. “The marks from the feet have almost filled in.”
He’d barely noticed the faint impression, but made a sketch of it—and the gashes—in his journal. He could already see the difference in the quality of his drawings. Putting an ability point into Tracking had paid off in that regard, but the greater boon was in the information he’d been given. If Mordituls dragged themselves along the land, it was a fair bet that a.) they moved slower on land than in water, and b.) they had insanely powerful forelimbs.
The closer they came to the lake, the wetter the ground was beneath their feet. Mud squelched as Arheis plodded through it, and he began to doubt his guess about the Morditul’s movement speed. Mud was an absolute slog for him to get through, but the beast in question would probably have an easier time of it.
“Do either of you know anything else about this creature, other than the fact that they’re semi-aquatic and can apparently shed their teeth?” he asked his companions, suppressing another shudder. “I’ve never seen one before.”
Zindar’s ear twitched in a fidgety way, and Arheis was unsure if the Pruvari was just listening for sounds, or if he was actually nervous. “They like to drown their prey. Their jaws, legs, even tail are all designed for that.”