Notes on Monster Hunting Page 19

  “You still have a lot of land between Geziksan and the war if you want to continue east, which you seem keen on doing. Our kingdom’s capital is Lamberg and it’s not terribly far away. There’s plenty of villages between us and them. You could also go north of Lamberg to Tredding, which used to be three separate cities.”

  “What’s north of Geziksan?” I asked. Teke gave me a weird look. “I’m just curious.”

  “There’s an enormous canyon and lots of caves. It’s beautiful, but impossible to cross. Traveling to Lamberg or Tredding is the best option if you don’t want to retrace your steps back west,” said the steward. “You could always go to Tredding and head back west, if you’d like.”

  “We’ve could use something different than a capital city. How long will it take to reach Tredding?” asked Skrale.

  “Probably five or six days, depending on how often you stop.”

  “Thank you.” Skrale shook the steward’s hand.

  Strauster quickly looked around and awkwardly waved his hands about. “Where’s the thing?”

  The steward stepped to the side and returned with a large cloth bag and handed it to Skrale.

  “Some wine and salted fish with some coconut as well. You’ll still run into plenty of seafood, I’m sure, but we have the best,” said the governor.

  “You’re very gracious. We’ll happily stop by again if we travel back this way.”

  “Farewell, hunters.”

  Gaulmite Hunt - Day 145

  The governor of Geziksan, Strauster, offered us a contract to eliminate the gaulmites that lived in the sewers. These creatures appeared almost annually, so they were equipped to deal with the situation and only asked us because we happened to be in town.

  About half of the company went on the hunt and swiftly handled the creatures in the sewers below the city streets.

  Payment: 50 gold.

  Arecaopod Hunt - Day 148-150

  During our stay in Geziksan, we stumbled upon headless corpses. These brought us into an investigation with the guards until Urny, corporal of Second squad, determined that the arecaopods (cocos to the locals) might be responsible.

  We searched the forests until we found an old, scarred arecaopod that had rotting tissue stuck to its beak. It was comfortable with our presence and did not flee, so it was swiftly executed by members of our company.

  Payment: 200 gold.

  Note: Arecaopods eat coconuts. This was unnatural and will most likely never happen again.

  Day 155

  The first day out of Geziksan was mostly uphill until we had to look off a cliff to see the ocean. Our cart was heavy with new supplies, so we had to stop more often than usual to let the horses rest.

  One day we stopped to eat while we were on top of a small cliff. Many of us sat on the edge, which overlooked a forest. Some arecaopods floated about, barely visible through the trees and fronds. Nobody said anything. We just watched the creatures.

  We decided to have one big fire instead of breaking into squads. Groose already fell asleep in the grass behind Palon and Kully, so Kully used Groose for a pillow and also fell asleep. We had already eaten, so there was nothing exciting happening.

  “Does anyone want to tell a story?” asked Skrale.

  “I want to hear Teke tell one,” said Widdy. He rubbed his nose and sniffled.

  Teke placed his hands on the ground and repositioned himself. “A story? What type of story? A real one?”

  Widdy leaned back and laid his head on his bag. “Just a story. I don’t want to know if it’s real or not.”

  “Here’s one I read long ago. I couldn’t tell you if it’s real or not. Far to the north, farther than where any of us came from is a land where snow falls the entire year, but many villages live peacefully from the heat of fiery mountains called volcanoes. The whole area freezes, apart from these small areas at the base of the volcanoes where people have lakes of warm water and rich soil that grows all kinds of crops. The stories that have come from explorers say there are incredible beasts that live in the mountains. Giant lizards and bears that breathe fire, worms that eat stone. It’s unclear if the fire inside the mountains is from these creatures or the other way around.”

  “Are the creatures dangerous?” I asked.

  “Maybe. There are stories of warriors fighting the fire-breathing lizards, but those stories always sounded fake to me. The villagers give offerings of food to some of the creatures and I’ve never heard of any of the merchants and explorers dying from them.”

  “You wouldn’t really hear stories from people who were eaten,” said Heff.

  “He’s got a point, Teke,” said Lekk.

  “So, maybe these beasts are dangerous. Maybe they aren’t. They might not even be real. These are just stories that come from the far north. I think Rux and Wennel are the ones from the furthest north. Have you two heard these stories before?”

  Rux nodded. “My mother used to tell me stories of the fire-breathers when I was a child. My father’s family came from those mountains, but I’ve never been.”

  “My mother fell off a cliff and my father was hit in the head too many times to be able to tell any stories,” said Wennel.

  “Seriously?” asked Ralet.

  “Unfortunately. Tragic, I know. Why else would I volunteer to work with Groose’s explosives?”

  “I tried to burn my schoolhouse down,” said Carner. “I think I’ve always been looking for a better way to burn things.”

  Skrale sighed and placed his face in his hands. Teke smiled like he was actually enjoying himself for once.

  “Why would you want to burn a school down?” I asked.

  “My teacher just beat us and yelled. It was actually terrible. I figured we would be better off without a school at all.”

  Widdy raised his hand. “Can we get back to Teke’s story?”

  “I don’t think I have anything else. It wasn’t much of a story, just something I’ve heard about.”

  “What’s the most amazing creature you’ve heard of, Skrale?” I asked.

  He lifted his head and combed his fingers through his beard. “Teke and I once heard about a giant living in a mountain when we first started the company. The giant was actually even taller than the mountain and just used the hollowed out stone as a place to sleep. Each step caused the ground to shake and buildings would collapse. People told us after we had accepted a different contract in a city a few days from the mountain, but the two of us wouldn’t have been able to handle something like that. Even our whole company now wouldn’t take that hunt.”

  “The stories sounded fake, but we heard about the exact same creature from countless people in several different cities and villages,” added Teke.

  We talked and looked at the stars in the sky until the ground shook from a group of mounted riders approaching. Groose and Kully woke on their own and stared into the shadows beyond the fire. Skrale stood and squinted. Most of us didn’t have weapons on us, apart from me and a few others, but Skrale would avoid conflict if possible anyway. We couldn’t see anything and could only hear horses nearby.

  Three men in plain leather armor appeared. They had swords on their hips and crossbows slung over their shoulders. Dark blue cloth wraps covered their heads, only leaving their eyes visible.

  “Can I help you?” asked Skrale.

  The man in the middle stepped forward. “Are you the monster hunters led by Skrale?”

  “We are. I’m Skrale, and who are you?”

  The man bowed and removed the cloth from his head. His face was gaunt. The high cheek bones and receding hairline gave him a frightening appearance. “My name is Krelik. I’m the captain of King Hogreth’s guard. If you will allow us, we would like to join you.”

  “Please do, but leave your weapons sheathed.”

  Krelik disappeared back into the night and returned a short time later with a long-haired man wearing similar leather armor.

  “I present King Hogreth.”

  The king pla
ced his hand on Krelik’s shoulder and shook his head. “Let’s keep it quiet. We’ve gotten this far. We don’t need to announce my presence any further. Let’s forget about formalities.” Hogreth walked around the fire to Skrale and shook his hand. “I’ve heard many things about your company, sir.”

  “I’m honored.”

  Skrale glanced my way. He looked uncomfortable.

  Widdy moved and sat behind Teke to allow the king a place beside Skrale. Krelik stood behind Hogreth with his back to our company. Other guards stood in a circle around us, all facing out into the night. I’m sure there are other guards we can’t see spread through the entire area.

  “You’re all probably wondering what I’m doing here. It took us some time to find you. I have some information I’d like to share with you all, but it cannot be repeated outside of your company. Can I trust everyone?”

  “You have my word,” said Skrale.

  Oitter stood and hurried over and sat beside me. He handed me and Palon pieces of jerky.

  The king nodded and smiled. “I considered asking to talk to you in private, Skrale, but I thought it would be best for everyone to be involved. The governor of Geziksan sent messages to me throughout your time in the city, detailing everything from your manners to how you handled the investigation. He told me of your hunts further west and all the good you’ve done for my kingdom. You did all that on your own, and now I have something to ask of you.”

  We all listened, completely silent. None of us would interrupt a king. That just sounded like a bad idea.

  “As you may have heard, I am at war. We are at war. Tullinbran has been invaded by Etikstan. Unfortunately, the war was not a surprise, as Etikstan has conquered smaller domains across the sea. They’ve already taken Jadenroth, Kelzisan, and Pilius, the three cities farthest east. They landed on the coast and have sieged city after city. I’m sorry for my storytelling. I want to ensure you all know everything before my proposition. Do you have anything to drink?”

  Skrale looked around for his bag. “Yes, of course. Water or wine?”

  “Wine.”

  Skrale found an old mug and poured some dark wine from a skin and handed it to the king. Krelik leaned down and reached for the mug.

  “Relax, captain. I’m not going to be poisoned by these people. Please, Skrale and anyone else. Join me with a drink.”

  Teke shrugged and poured himself a full mug of wine. I poured some from my own stash for Fourth squad and Oitter. Hogreth tasted the wine and smiled. His perfect teeth were coated with the sticky purple liquid.

  “This is some fine wine. Where is it from?”

  “It was a gift from the governor of Geziksan,” said Skrale.

  “I thought it might be.” He took a long drink and loudly swallowed the mouthful. “Etikstan is ruthless and my people fear their arrival. If Lamberg falls, Tullinbran may collapse. Only two cities remain between Pilius and Lamberg and I fear those cities will fall without much resistance. My armies have been slaughtered beneath Etikstan’s monster horde.”

  Skrale set his mug on the ground and looked at Hogreth. “Monster horde?”

  “That’s why I’ve come to you. They’ve attacked with trained monsters. Some are still wild, but chained and unleashed on my men. The messengers who delivered the reports ran for their lives to be able to get me the information. Etikstan apparently has creatures like wolves, but faster that chased down and killed messengers and their horses, so whole groups were sent so that one could live. I don’t know much about the creatures they use, but their armies have many of these monsters and we have no way to fight it. I come to you all to ask you to join us and help us find a way to win this war. Train my soldiers and fight with us against the enemy.”

  “King Hogreth, sir, I know this is a terrible situation, but our company isn’t part of your kingdom and we only deal with creatures. As part of an army, there would be people and we simply don’t fight people.”

  “I understand and I value your morals. Is there anything I could do to convince you? The pay would be better than any job you’ve had before.”

  “It’s not a matter of money, sir.”

  Hogreth nodded. “It’s impressive, refusing a king. Not many would.”

  Krelik crouched and whispered in the king’s ear.

  “Splendid idea. What if I offer you a contract simply to train my men for sixty days or more? Just knowing tactics to fight monsters that you use while hunting could be enough to turn the tide in the war.”

  Skrale looked at Teke, Lekk, and Heff. They all gave the captain a swift nod.

  “We can do that. How many men would we train?” asked Skrale.

  Hogreth got Krelik’s attention and repeated the question.

  “We are gathering all of our forces to defend Lamberg, so it will be thousands. We won’t know exact numbers until everyone has returned to the capital.”

  “Is that possible for you?” asked Hogreth.

  “It is. Everyone here is more than capable of training others and everyone has their specialities.”

  Hogreth finished his wine and set the mug in the dirt beside him. “We shall travel together to Lamberg. Starting in the morning, of course.”

  The guards moved off and swiftly set up camp beside ours. None of them spoke and they ate their dinner privately. Hogreth stayed with us, with Krelik close behind. The king had some bread, smoked tayley, and soft cheese brought to us. Skrale continued to provide the wine.

  Our company fell apart into our squads, but we stayed close to the fire. Yutt joined Fourth and brought more of Oitter’s jerky. Oitter wiggled his eyebrows at me.

  “Let’s keep sharing?”

  I tossed him a bread roll.

  He smelled it and smiled. “Watch this.” Oitter grabbed his long knife and spread some cheese onto the bread roll.

  Groose leaned forward and held his bread cupped in his hands. “Do me.”

  Oitter spread cheese onto Groose’s roll. Groose ate it in one bite and nodded the whole time he chewed.

  “Delicious. Oitter, you’re a genius.”

  “It was just cheese on bread. Was it that smart?” asked Ralet.

  Yutt poured himself more wine and wiped his sleeve across his mouth. “Let him be, Ralet. Oitter needs the encouragement.”

  Ralet rolled his eyes, then leaned over and asked to see Skrale’s journal. I handed it to him and kept eating. I acted normal, but I was worried as I watched him carefully flip through the pages. I didn’t want to think he’d rip it or ruin it, but the anxiety attached itself to the back of my mind. After he handed it back, I flipped through the book, page by page, checking to see what condition it was in. Ralet noticed and didn’t say anything.

  Day 158

  We left the next morning at a slightly faster pace than we were used to. The king’s guard were all disguised as regular travelers and covered every side of our little caravan. Hogreth chose to walk alongside Skrale, which surprised Krelik. He wasn’t able to hide his discomfort and confusion with the whole situation. He walked just behind Hogreth and regularly looked backwards and stared at a few of us. It was obvious to me that he wasn’t a supporter of the king’s plan to recruit us, despite his idea to have us train the army.

  While we were walking, I asked Groose what he would teach the soldiers if he had the chance to train anyone. He said he would teach them “how not to use bombs.” Then he went deep into his thoughts for a moment then remembered he could teach them how to make the explosives.

  “Just teach them how to throw it far enough,” said Carner.

  Groose snorted and grinned. “I throw them plenty far.”

  “You throw like a newborn child,” said Wennel.

  “You can’t even throw them far enough to avoid the shrapnel,” said Carner.

  Groose was the most scarred out of all of them. He smiled wickedly and pulled a tellick bomb from his bag.

  “Want to see how far I can throw it?”

  The king’s guard started shouting and pushing t
hrough us to get to Groose.

  “Oh,” he said while he looked at the bomb. “I get it. This is a bad idea.” He carefully placed the bomb back in his bag. “We’re good. Nobody is exploding right now.”

  Krelik leaned forward to talk to Skrale and Hogreth with a very concerned look on his face. Skrale shook his head. I was too far away to hear what Skrale said.

  Two of the guards used the food they brought and a bit of ours to make a stew for all of us to eat. It was a decent meal, but not what I would’ve expected. I thought the king would’ve brought a chef along to cook amazing meals all the time.

  In the morning, Krelik told us that we needed to walk a bit quicker than before to make it to Lamberg while the sun was still in the sky.

  We followed his pace while Hogreth and his guards rode alongside on horses. Apparently one day of walking was enough for the king. About midday before we stopped to eat, Skrale asked sergeants and corporals to gather for a little meeting. Ralet and I walked beside Teke and had to lean forward to actually see Skrale beside him.

  “What kinds of things do you all think soldiers would need to know about dealing with monsters?”

  “Swordplay won’t help,” said Ralet. He spent the night mentioning ideas to me about this very question. I had told him that he had to share because I wasn’t going to take credit for his ideas.

  “Keep going,” said Skrale.

  “Well, creatures don’t usually use weapons. Parrying and blocking only does so much against claws and fangs. Obviously we sometimes see things like the clay mason’s creations that have swords, but usually it’s just the creature’s natural weapons and they won’t attack with claws like a man would with a sword. They would need to learn how to approach a fight when you aren’t just aware of the weapon, but the entire beast.”

  “Yes, absolutely.”

  “I think it would be good to teach different roles separately before teaching them to work as a unit. I know in the army they already have roles, but we can teach them to use these roles against creatures, like the heavies and the munitions, then teach them how those roles work within squads,” said Heff.