I wake in the morning, slightly sore from the action yesterday. I stretch and bend for a bit, trying to get the worst of it out of my system. Changing back into my human form, I get clothed and head out of my room. A delightful scent from somewhere catches my attention.
Maneuvering through the clergy-house, which is surprisingly big, I find my way to the kitchen. I take note of the size of it, everything seems as if made for children. A vegetable soup is boiling on the oven, it smells amazing. As I step inside the room, a shadow leaps at me from behind the door!
I move to grab whatever it is that's leaping at me. I end up catching a heavy frying-pan with my hands, and dangling off the handle is a... small girl? No wait, she's a Changeling! Me halting her forward momentum sends her swinging into my chest. Not wasting the opportunity for damage, she kicks off of it, nearly knocking the breath out of me. She lands a bit away from me, taking a stance.
"Gleda! That's enough!" Brother Crym shouts as he comes running into the kitchen. His eyes widen as he sees me holding the frying pan, heaving for breath and massaging where she kicked me in the ribs. Though I took no damage, it still hurt! Gleda glares at me before demonstratively ignoring me. She then returns to tending the soup.
"I'm so very sorry for that. Gleda, she's..." "Not good with strangers entering her kitchen?" Brother Crym deflates slightly as he sighs. "I guess that's the truth of it. I hope you can forgive her." He bows his head in apology as I return the frying pan to its place on the wall.
"She's been serving this house since the last Sister lived here. Never been outside, by now the poor thing is too afraid to go." He explains as he guides me out of the kitchen and into the dining room. Hey, World Knowledge, could I get the bio on Changelings now?
*Affirmative*
*Changeling:
A monster of unknown classification and origin. Most scholars agree that they are either a type of benign Undead, or some form of Elemental or Sprite. Uncannily humanoid in their appearance, they spontaneously generate after a woman has lost their child, either through still births or other means. The cut-off point for age seems to be around 5-6 years of age. As such, seeing a single woman with a Changeling in tow brings about all sorts of speculation in a community. This spontaneous generation happens even if the childs corpse was treated to prevent undeath prior to burial.
Most often raised as if they were the mothers biological child, though they never seem to grow beyond the physical appearance of a 7 year old child. Having a monsters longevity, some Changelings end up becoming a part of the household, even if their original family has long since died.*
*Rank: 2 Stars*
O-oh. That... That explains a lot. Especially seeing as Valena is like... fifteen years old. Yikes. I picked a bad disguise.
"Is something the matter?" Brother Crym snaps me out of my thoughts. "Oh no, nothing." I tell him. Gleda comes into the dining room, carrying the pot of soup she was working on before I intruded into the kitchen. She sets it down on the table, before moving to ladle it into three bowls.
"Uh, Gleda, I wanted to say sorry. I didn't know you don't like people entering your kitchen." I tell her as she hands me my portion of soup. She, of course, doesn't respond, but instead nods. I look to Crym for a translation. "She accepts your apology." He informs as he starts eating his soup.
We finish our soup, it was quite lovely. Afterwards I had to wait a bit as Brother Crym finished his morning prayers, but once that's done, we head off to the Guild. With Cryms referral, I'd be able to tag along on hunts as a cleric. Basically I'll stay back and keep the others healthy. Less chance of me outing myself that way.
As Crym takes care of the paperwork of getting me registered as an unlicensed cleric, I scan the Hall for potential hunting partners when a familiar sight catches my attention. Sitting around a table, enjoying a drink (non-alcoholic, I hope), is Germund, Merkiv and Seagrass. I thought those knuckleheads were suspended?
Oh how I'd love to just walk up to them, like, "Hey chucklefucks, what'cha doing here?" but I can't do that because they don't know me. At least, not in this form. Oh? They seem to have noticed my staring. Oops. They're talking among themselves. I wonder about what? Even though there's noticeably fewer hunters here than in G'cal, there's still a good amount of bustle going on.
Also, wasn't I tracking them on my map?
*Up to five targets can be tracked at any one time. once the limit is reached, the oldest tracking is replaced with the new tracking.*
Oh. So I untracked them on accident. Oh well.
Brother Crym returns, holding a stack of paper and a credit-card sized copper plate. "Here, these are your permits. All should be in order for you to join a group. As a Cleric-class hunter, you don't have to worry about the rank of the mission undertaken, as your role is entirely non-combatant." He explains as he hands me the papers and the copper plate. It bears my name- wait, why is my last name Voidreiser? "Ah, um, what's with this last name?" I ask.
"Ah, I guess you wouldn't know." Crym lowers his voice as he explains. "Voidreiser is the Family Name given to those who either never knew their family, or were disowned." Oh, so this World doesn't have last names, but family names. So I guess anyone with the same last name should be related.
"Even if one is adopted, they are given the Voidreiser name." He finishes before returning to normal volume. "Here, let me show you to the Board. It's where they put up hunts, and also where hunters looking for allies wait around." He leads me to a large wooden board, dented and marred from countless postings being put up and taken down over the years.
I look over the postings. Mostly along the lines of "Help me get some herbs!" or "These nuisance monsters are being a nuisance!". No big listings. Of course, I guess the biggest job here is unlisted. The Morke. I yelp in surprise as someone grabs my shoulder from behind.
I turn around, and there stands Germund, Merkiv and Seagrass. "Couldn't help but overhear you're a Cleric." Germund tells me. I'm still catching by breath from almost dying when he grabbed me from behind, so all I can do is nod.
"Good! You see, we're going hunting Maremoths, but we need a healer. You know, just in case." I hesitantly look to Brother Crym. He nods to me. I guess Maremoths have Cold Resistance? "I guess I could go with you, what's your rank?" I ask. I don't know if I'm committing some sort of social faux pas here, but I can't help but wonder why they're here, and not in G'cal.
Germund seems embarrassed, rubbing his neck as he answers. "W-well, we were C-Rank, but got demoted back to D after... well, we're not proud of what we did. So if we behave, we'll be restored in about a years time." I see! They've been given a chance at redemption!
"I guess you should know how to handle yourself then. When do we depart?" I ask. "We're ready to go whenever, but shouldn't you get your gear first?" Germund looks me over, trying to find some sort of bag on my person. "Ah, don't worry about that. I've got all I need." I tell him, making a note to myself about getting a hold of a satchel of sorts.
"If you're sure. I guess we head out then, follow us." He shrugs. I turn to Brother Crym, but he just waves me off. I guess I can say whatever I need to once I get back? I then follow the three hunters out of the Hall and to the town gate. On the way they formally introduce themselves.
The guard at the gate greets us with something along the lines of "finally got off your asses". I guess they've been real adamant about having a Cleric with them when they hunt. "We're gonna go up to there." Merkiv tells me as he points to a ridge about a quarters way up the mountain. "Behind that ridge is a small valley where the Maremoths love to hang out at this time of year." I see.
It's around noon by the time we crest the ridge. Before us is a small dip in the terrain before it scales right back into a steep cliff. I can see some black shapes moving about in the thin covering of brush. "Are those the Maremoths?" I ask. "Yeah, they are. Here, drink this before we engage them. Don't want them knocking you out mid-fight." Seagrass hands me a yellow bottle.
Inspecting it returns the info about "Energy Drink". Seems drinking this briefly grants the Sleep Resist skill. I watch as the others chug their bottles. I sniff at it before I drink, and get a nose-full of carbonation. Ugh. I drink it in one go as well.
*Temporary Skill gained: Condition Resistance: Sleep (Grand), time remaining: 30min*
I see, it lasts 30 minutes. I never learned the clock here, but I guess it operates in a 60 minute scale here as well?
*Affirmative. Do you wish to update the time display?*
No, I've no need currently. But if I do end up having to meet someone at a specific time I guess I can do that then. "Okay, we'll be aiming for the bull. The big one with antennae." Germund instructs. "Uh, I realize now that we never got your name, what is it?" He sheepishly asks. Honestly, I completely forgot to give it. "It's Millibelle. Millibelle Voidreiser." I tell them.
A look of... pity? comes over their faces. Is my name upsetting? Or weird?
*They might think you've been raised by Photians. It isn't uncommon for them to adopt children of other races, only to treat them like pets. Particularly the nobility among Photians have the world view of the other humanoids not being much more worth than the common goblin, and as such treat them like companion monsters at best. As it happens, your name is a common pet name given to female monsters.*
Oh. So Photians are the asshole kind of elf I guess. "A-anyway. Millibelle, you stay at the back and keep us healthy. Do not engage the monsters, even if they should go for you." Germund tells me before unsheathing his lance. Seagrass readies his longbow, and Merkiv fishes out his staff and book from his bag. I guess it has some sort of Mary Poppins enchantment on it.
We make our way towards the black shapes. As we edge closer, I can make out details. Long, black, shaggy fur covers almost the entire monster. From what I can tell of their build, they look like six-legged mammoths, with a moths' proboscis instead of a trunk, and black moth wings with distinct reddish eyespots on the front and back in place of ears. The females, the ones without antennae on their heads, are roughly as tall as I am at the shoulder. The lone male is a good bit bigger than me.
*Maremoth:
A curious kind of Insectoid. Although it bears the superficial resemblance to the mammaloid Mammoth, they're in no way related. It is a mystery as to why the Maremoth looks the way it does, but the general consensus is that it somehow aids winter survival. The males (the bull) feature prominent feathery antennae, the size of which indicates his strength. Utilizing the hypnotic patterns on their wings, both genders are able to send their prey into a deep slumber, rendering it unable to resist the Maremoths feeding on their body-fluids.
The thick coat of hair that covers the Maremoths exoskeleton provides excellent insulation against the elements, whilst the bulls antennae can be used as a staff or wand core to increase the power of status causing Spells.*
*Rank: 3 Stars (Female), 4 Stars (Male)*
Germund clanks his lance against his shield to get their attention. "Pfhriii~" "Phfrooo~" An odd combination of cicada buzz and elephant trumpeting fills the air as the Maremoths get into position. Their eye-spots start shifting and swaying in an odd manner as they flap their wings/ears at us.
*Status failed: Resistance too high!*
Oh good, they can't put us to sleep. Seemingly annoyed by this, the male lets out a cry before charging at Germund. The females stay behind, though they create a defensive formation, not unlike that of the musk ox of my old world.
Oddly, the bull stops just short of actually running over Germund. A feint?
Germund answers with a jab of his lance, aiming at the bulls eyes. The Maremoth reels backwards as it lashes out with its proboscis. It bounces off of his helmet, but it seems like he noticed the hit.
"Shit. Hey, doofuses, don't let me have all the fun here!" He chides the others. An arrow flies gracefully through the air, before planting itself decisively in the left shoulder of the bull. The bull gives a roar of rage, I can feel the vibrations from it all the way over here.
Giving Germund an once-over, he has taken less than 5% damage, so it isn't worth it to heal him yet. The Maremoth bull is however at 90% HP remaining. I notice Merkiv chanting, the orb at the tip of his staff glimmering a dull yellow color. As he continues chanting, crackles of electricity gathers around the orb.
"Lighting Beam!" A thin beam of energy shoots out of the staff, but I can feel my hair rising from the static electricity built around it. It strikes the Maremoth right in the head, shearing off one of the wing/ears and causing its shaggy fur to poof out slightly.
*Spell learned: Lightning Beam (Lesser) - Fires a beam of lightning at the target. in addition to the damage, it causes the Lightning-Rod condition. Lightning-Rod: All lightning element Spells and Skills do 5% more damage per tier of the status. Also makes these attacks harder to avoid.*
Oh man, Lightning is like, Air and uh... Fire? Light? No wait, Air and Light makes illusions...
*Lightning is created from Air and Heat. It is a highly volatile Element that poses as much harm to the user as to the ones targeted by the attacks.*
Wait, so Merkiv has Air, Light, and Fire affinity? Oh, and Earth too, because he knows Earth Spike.
*Correct.*
Oh man.
The Maremoth bull touches its proboscis to its damaged ear before roaring in anger again. It glows briefly, before charging at Germund again. Wait, that's Afterimage! "Germund! Its using Illusions! It's gonna attack before it looks like it's gonna attack!" I call out to him. Germund raises his shield before the Maremoth makes contact, but the force of the charge sends him tumbling through the tufts of heather carpeting the ground.
The Maremoth feels the impact too, as it is stumbling from the reflected damage it took from Germunds Greatshield. Another arrow pierces a flank, and it falters slightly. 60% HP left. Its antennae glow this time, and Seagrass stops notching his next arrow to rub his eyes.
"What the- I'm seeing double?" He mumbles. Double Vision? I could cure it, but if the Maremoth casts it again... "Seagrass, I'll treat that later. If you get it repeatedly you could damage your vision permanently. Try aiming in the middle of the two images." I tell him.
"I'll try..." He mutters, uncertain. Seeing how the bull is struggling against us, the other Maremoths move to join the fight. "Phooofreeee~" They call out as they move to trample Germund, who is still struggling to get back onto his feet in his heavy armor. D-do I join in?
Merkiv moves before me though, dashing in front of Germund and erecting multiple Earth Spikes in front of him. Unable to stop in time to avoid them, the leading female gores herself on the Spikes. I decide to move in to help Germund get up.
"Hey now, be carefu-!" He starts to say, before being utterly silenced at how easily I picked him up. "You good?" I ask. He takes a moment, before nodding. "Phrooo~" The unlucky female swings her proboscis about, desperate to get a good hit in on us.
"Ah, shit, I'd hoped they'd be able to stop in time." Merkiv sounds sad. I guess he normally uses Earth Spike as a deterrent. "Ah, may I? My weapons, they deliver a quick death." I suggest to him, as Germund moves to distract the other Maremoths who are currently zeroing in on Seagrass.
"Hm, I guess. Her front leg's shattered. She won't make it anyway." Merkiv points to the impaled females left front leg. The lower half of it is soaked through with hemolymph, and where the knee would be is a gaping hole where an Earth Spike has pierced and shattered her exoskeleton.
I equip my Paired Fell Chelicerae, and in a moment where the female falters in her desperate struggle, I plunge them straight into her forehead. She tenses up a moment, before the warmth in my chest tells me she's dead.
"There, let's help the others now." I turn to Merkiv, whose face is full of pondering. I return my attention to Germund and Seagrass. They've managed to separate the wounded male from the females. With one final jab of his lance, the male topples over onto his side, exposing his abdomen.
"Merkiv, over here!" Germund calls as he turns to block a proboscis jab from one of the females. "Got it!" Merkiv runs over to assist. I have a quick look at Germunds' health. It's getting low, so I cast Great Heal on him. Seagrass seems to be busy trying to line up a shot. Merkiv, once again, wards off the females by erecting a barrier of Earth Spikes.
"Now! I'm pretty much out of MP, so unless we finish this fast-!" He warns Germund. Germund nods and turns to the male. It's laying on the ground, seemingly too spent to even struggle. Oh? Its leg? Oh no!
Without thinking, I rush in in front of Germund, right as the bull Maremoths' leg glows a brownish color and it kicks out. I have just enough time to activate my Jagged Scales on my forearms, to try to mitigate some damage. As the kick connects, the world turns upside down as I am sent flying through the air by the force of the impact.
The sound of something sloshing forth is all I hear before I land, hitting my head hard enough to knock me out.