Notes on Monster Hunting

  Notes on

  Monster Hunting

  Chad Retterath

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Copyright © 2019 by Chad Retterath

  Cover Art by Samantha Shieh

  Company Structure

  First Squad

  Skrale - Captain

  Teke - Sergeant

  Orkin - Corporal

  Widdy - Marksman

  Trennor - Munitions

  Second Squad

  Lekk - Sergeant

  Urny - Corporal

  Rux - Heavy

  Henli - Medic

  Carner - Munitions

  Third Squad

  Heff - Sergeant

  Iliun - Corporal

  Rexel - Heavy

  Lopuk - Medic

  Wennel - Munitions

  Fourth Squad

  Cremn - Sergeant

  Beatrice - Marksman

  Ralet - Support

  Palon - Heavy

  Kully - Medic

  Groose - Munitions

  Scouts

  Yutt

  Prenn

  Oitter

  Jenn

  Property of Beatrice Trelore

  If found use wisely

  Year 546

  Day 51

  Everything was ice.

  I woke up cold again. It’s been a long, frozen winter. We set up camp early last night as it started raining. The water froze as soon as it touched the ground and none of us could keep our footing. Fourth squad, under the command of Cremn, has been sent on a hunt for a garganalces. Oitter and Jenn from the scouts joined us for the hunt. Oitter is the second most experienced hunter, behind Cremn, and Jenn is the fastest if we need to relay a message back to the captain.

  I finally left my tent and the warmth of my furs. I found Cremn and Palon sitting by a fire that was more smoke than flames. A pot sat between them with steam from the broth.

  The ground was slippery. Small flames reflected on the ice around the makeshift fire pit. A small hint of color peeked above the trees. It would still be an hour before we had enough sunlight to travel.

  “Morning, Beatrice,” said Cremn. He handed me a steaming mug of braccish tea.

  Its smell is pleasant, but the taste is entirely bitter. It’s the strongest tea. Great for early mornings and long hunts. Perfect for an ice-covered morning.

  Palon sliced a steak into thin strips and dropped them into the stew. Its aroma reached me and made my stomach growl. I was still standing, so Palon moved his sword and knife from his log.

  “Have a seat.”

  “Thanks.” I sat and held the cup of tea close to my face.

  Two days ago, Fourth Squad split from the rest of Skrale’s monster hunting company to hunt down a garganalces. The enormous, antlered creature had attacked and killed a young boy from Alvan, a large town on the edge of a larger forest. Skrale’s First Squad and Lekk’s Second Squad went together to hunt a holvul slug hive, while Heff’s Third Squad went to hunt a pack of wolves that have been causing problems for the hunters of Alvan. Lots of contracts from a town that size. We’re always happy for the work. We don’t get paid if we don’t hunt.

  Another monster hunting company came into town as Fourth was leaving. I didn’t get to talk to any of them. Skrale was meeting with their leader as we left.

  Jenn rose from her tent and stumbled out. She only had one boot on and swore as her bare foot slipped on the ice. Her hair was tangled and her belt hung loose. Cremn looked over and rolled his eyes.

  We’re not Jenn’s biggest fan. Fourth squad is plenty friendly, but Jenn sucks.

  She sat on the ground beside me and pulled her other boot on. She smiled and nudged me with her elbow.

  “Where can I get some of that tea?”

  Cremn leaned over and handed her a mug.

  “Thanks, Sergeant. Just what I need.” She drank a mouthful and flinched from the taste or the heat. Maybe both. “Where is everyone else?”

  Cremn stirred the stew, then handed Palon the wooden spoon. “Ralet, Kully, Groose, and Oitter all went out to forage and find some more firewood.”

  Jenn nodded, sipped her tea, and scrunched her face again.

  “Stew’s done,” said Palon. He stood and stretched. He only wore leather armor and furs around his shoulders.

  It still looked odd to me. Usually he wears all metal. Like a big metal statue. Palon filled a bowl with stew and handed it to me, then one to Jenn, and the last to Cremn. Cremn nodded and smiled. He seemed to be enjoying himself.

  It was nice seeing his smile. He looked more relaxed than usual. Less wrinkles on his face, other than those from his smiling. His facial hair was scruffier than he normally keeps it. It suited him. Meanwhile, Palon’s cheeks and neck were still red from a shave earlier in the morning.

  The others returned led by Oitter, who had the hood of his cloak up. He was wearing tight leather clothes that really didn’t seem warm enough. He carried a bag full of berries. I didn’t recognize any. They were mostly blue and black.

  “They’re frozen. Still taste alright for now,” said Oitter.

  “Thanks,” said Cremn as he caught the bag. Ralet, Groose, and Kully all dropped some wood beside the fire. We planned to camp in the same place on the return journey if it worked out. Kully sat next to Palon and happily accepted a bowl. He smiled and cupped his hands on the bottom of the bowl. He leaned over, letting his long hair hang around it as the steam rose into his face.

  “Anything else, sergeant?” asked Ralet.

  Cremn swallowed the last of his stew. “No. Take a seat and eat some breakfast. You too, Groose.” He filled his bowl back up and handed it to Ralet.

  Groose stepped beside the fire and crouched to look below the pot. “This fire isn’t great.”

  Cremn sighed. He looked at Kully.

  Kully nodded and tucked his hair behind his ears.

  “Only a little yax, Groose,” said Kully.

  Groose nodded and pulled a small pouch off his belt. He stuck two fingers inside and removed a pinch of dark red powder. Palon carefully removed the pot from above the fire and stepped aside to let Groose drop the powder onto the logs. Flames quickly shot into the air then died down. The flames burned hotter than before.

  I watched silently the whole time, savoring the beautiful stew and the tea. Cremn and Palon make the greatest food. Especially together. In the past they’ve made roasts out of chickens, koirils, and pheasants. Palon always cooks steaks and Cremn is the best with stew and fish fillets. They definitely have their strengths, but together it’s the perfect team.

  Everyone ate and sat around the fire until the sun was in the sky. Oitter and Cremn were the first ready to go. They stood beside the fire and talked about hunting stories. I always assumed Cremn had the craziest hunting stories, but Oitter had some interesting experiences before joining the company. He sometimes gives us hints of his past life. A brief story about tracking a man through a town or hitting a shot with a bow from terribly far away. He’s always interested me, but I rarely get to talk to him for long.

  I won’t be able to write until we stop. I’ll try to keep the events as accurate as possible, but sometimes my memories get fuzzy.

  We packed our tents. I hoped we would make it back to the same camp site, but it’s hard to say. Everyone checked their swords and strung their bows. We split into groups of two to fan out and look for tracks. Cremn and Palon, me and Kully, Groose and Jenn, and Ralet and Oitter. Groose groaned when he heard his assignment.

  Jenn smirked and placed a hand
on Groose’s. He swatted her away and swore under his breath.

  As we walked away, Kully leaned close and whispered, “I have no idea how to track an animal.”

  We both laughed.

  “Footprints and droppings,” I said.

  Kully nodded and looked at his feet. “What do the footprints of a garganalces look like?”

  I was silent for a moment and just listened to my feet crunching through the thin layer of ice on top of the snow. I love everyone in my squad, but Kully has always stood out. We rarely talk about our pasts or ask any hard questions. We just get along. We always have.

  But I do wonder how old he is. His skin is clear and smooth when the rest of us have scars from acne or a hunt. Our hair is almost the exact same. It’s funny now that I’ve noticed.

  “Maybe we’ll know when we see it?” I asked.

  “I won’t. Maybe you will.” Kully laughed.

  “We’ll shout for Oitter if we see anything that doesn’t just look like snow.”

  Kully nodded and hummed a song quietly as we walked and searched. Each footstep sounded like a giant walking. The frozen top cracked and the snow beneath was rough enough to cut skin. No other noises filled the forest. The birds that stayed for the winter weren’t around and any squirrels or hares in the area were hiding from us. Kully’s humming was pleasant. I didn’t recognize the song and didn’t want to interrupt him to ask.

  Someone else found tracks sometime later. Groose found us and waved us over to join the rest of the squad. Kully and I watched him as he hurried back, raising his knees much higher than he needed to as he walked through the snow. Groose is a bizarre creature. A genius and an idiot in one.

  Cremn and Oitter were kneeling in the snow over a set of footprints. Kully leaned in again and whispered, “That’s what the footprints look like.”

  I laughed and shushed him.

  They both stood. “Everyone quiet now,” said Cremn. “Follow us.”

  We followed. The creature wasn’t close, but the footprints were from this morning. The sun continued to rise into the sky. With it came some relief. Not much, but some light and warmth was better than the frigid nighttime.

  I spent most of my money in the fall to buy bear furs and a cloak. A decision I am grateful I made. Previous winters weren’t as harsh as this one, but I never had enough warm clothes.

  Oitter pointed into the sky between some trees. “Clouds aren’t looking promising.”

  Everyone followed his finger. The distant clouds were dark and massive, the type that bring snow. Lots of snow.

  “We need to finish the contract before that comes in,” said Cremn. “Everyone good to up the pace?”

  We all nodded.

  After what felt like another hour, we found some droppings. Fresh, according to Cremn. I trusted him on that.

  “Oitter, Ralet, Beatrice, take right side. The rest of us will go left. Don’t act when you find it until you see us on the other side. Jenn, start heading back. If Skrale or a sergeant isn’t in Alvan, wait to relay the message. Assume we finish the contract, but we’ll be held up an extra day if that storm is as bad as it looks.”

  Jenn nodded, took some jerky and berries from Cremn’s pack, and started running back. She prefers horseback, but she is still the fastest on foot. I swear she could run all day without tiring.

  We split into our separate groups. We tried to stay low as Oitter led us a few hundred feet. He held a hand up. I stopped and placed a hand on Ralet’s shoulder. Oitter leaned around the tree, then nodded back at us. He stepped over to another tree. We all held our bows ready.

  I’ve always known of garganalces. I’ve seen heads mounted and I’ve worn their furs. Even eaten their meat. But I’ve never seen a live one. And this one was enormous. The garganalces was rubbing its spiky antlers against a tree. The brown-furred beast stood over seven feet high. Its mouth hung open, filled with fangs. Dried blood dyed its lips and chin a dark red. It seemed to be enjoying the scratching. The garganalces planted its hooves wide and closed its eyes.

  He looked peaceful and happy at that moment.

  It is my strong belief that no animal is a monster until it is placed in a bad situation. This garganalces was a monster because it killed a young boy. That was the only reason we were hunting it.

  Oitter made a sound. I looked back. He pointed across. Cremn, Kully, Groose, and Palon were all in position on the other side. It was the right time to strike.

  We all pulled our arrows back and let them go. Most struck the beast. The arrowheads sunk deep into its sides. A deep growl came from the garganalces as it stepped away from the tree and swayed. We all closed in quickly and cut at its legs. It toppled and Palon stabbed his sword into its heart.

  My heart raced. The excitement of a hunt hasn’t faded in the three years I’ve been with the company. The garganalces’ eyes were open. They were green like summer leaves. It was a beautiful creature.

  The storm clouds were closer. Much closer than I had thought they would be. It wasn’t even midday.

  “Perfect hunt. Great work,” said Cremn. He looked into the sky. “I don’t want to get caught unprepared again. Start setting up tents. Palon, Oitter, cut off the head and start getting any fur and meat you can. Might as well use everything we can. Beatrice, set up tents for Oitter and Palon. Kully, start gathering clean snow to boil. Groose, start a fire with some powder right after your tent is up.”

  We all started and worked as quickly as possible. Groose’s tent was the first up, and it didn’t look sturdy. But we were all cold and he knew a fire was important. Even a blizzard can’t put out yax powder. Not immediately at least.

  About half an hour later, the snow began to fall. It was gentle, big flakes at first. I brought cloaks over to Oitter and Palon. Kully helped me finish the other tents while Ralet made tea for everyone.

  “Everything good?” asked Groose.

  Cremn nodded.

  “Great. I need to make some new tellick bombs.”

  “Careful,” said Cremn.

  Groose saluted and slipped into his tent. Creating the explosives we use is a difficult process. I don’t fully understand it. I don’t need to. Groose created the mixture using normal alchemical and medicinal powders. He is the creator and expert, but all squads have someone that is capable of building their own. Carner, Trennor, and Wennel were all personally taught by Groose.

  Cremn brought more wood and covered it in an old, tattered cloak. He switched with Palon, and Palon immediately started cooking some of the fresh meat. Ralet cut some vegetables we had, but there wasn’t much. Some carrots and a single potato.

  That brings me up to now. I’m in my tent, unable to hear anything outside. The snow is turning into hail. It is only early evening, but the storm is too bad to be outside. They put a sheet of canvas above the fire to keep it going, so it is safe to sit out there at the moment, but I wanted some privacy to write. I’d like to get back to see everyone else. It’s only been a few days but I miss the rest of the company.

  Day 52

  We finished the night with hot wine beside the fire. Groose kept it going the whole night by using up his yax powder. He told me he still has plenty of heetan and oiled powders if he needs them. Late in the evening Ralet pulled out his cards to play, but they were wet and splitting. A sad end to the deck. He had them for about a year.

  This morning we took everything down before sunrise. The storm must have stopped during the night because it was a pleasant morning. Still cold, but calm. Hailstones were stuck in the snow. It was sad seeing the garganalces’s headless corpse frozen in the snow. At least some creature would finish the remains. Palon carried the head, so we split most of his pack between the rest of us. I carried his waterskin and his bedroll.

  I walked with Ralet. He seemed tired and kept sniffling. His small nose was bright red. He kept moving his shaggy hair to cover his ears, but the wind kept messing it up. I offered him a bandana to cover his face. He declined.

  It is easy to find
illness in this type of cold. Hopefully it turns out to be nothing major.

  Cremn led the way back. He walked as quickly as he could through the snow and ice. Each step felt like I was trying to walk up stairs. We didn’t need to be back at any specific time, but the sooner the better. Getting back would hopefully mean one night in a warm inn. Or at least a hot meal and some ale. If we made it back before the other squads we would get to wait until their return.

  We passed our old camp. Groose waved as we continued on through the forest.

  “I miss you already,” he called.

  Cremn told him to shut up. Kully patted Groose on the back and told him the camp will be okay without us.

  I was worried about the other hunts. All the squads are capable. More than capable. Third Squad probably killed the wolves without any problems. Iliun and Heff are great at finding ways to take down a lot of creatures quickly.

  It’s the holvul slugs I’m worried about. A hive can hold more than fifty slugs. And the needles on their faces are venomous. But Skrale started the company for a reason. Him and Teke can take down any monster. Teke probably already made an antidote for holvul venom.

  Day 53

  We didn’t arrive last night until after sunset. The footing was rough the whole way and my feet were frozen by the time we saw Alvan.

  We headed straight for a giant inn called The Lone Horse that sat near town hall in the middle of the city. I liked Alvan. It wasn’t a large city. The streets were dirt and the buildings were built too close to one another, but it was comfortable. It felt like the buildings helped block the cold wind.

  Skrale told everyone to meet back at the inn when they returned. All expenses would be paid from the company’s funds. Cremn loudly sighed as soon as he walked in. We all tried to peek around him to see what caused his frustration.

  Jenn sat on a stool at the front bar with the innkeep.

  “She’s drunk, isn’t she?” asked Ralet.

  It was an easy yes. She waved and raised her half-finished beer in the air.