“Strange?” I asked in surprise.
The loud howling beast being alone gave me lots of hope. But the fact that it was “strange” less so...
When I asked about the creature’s Strength, Speed and Magic, Gorgie always gave the same answer.
“Alright, I’m okay with it being strange,” I said, making peace with it and starting to observe.
Just then, I felt like someone was watching us again. I even turned sharply. That’s how creepy the feeling was. But alas, I still didn’t see anyone...
And after that, I was too distracted to care... The harn said the “strange” howling creature had picked up our scent. There was no sense in running, at the very least not with my speed. So we decided to stay and give combat. At least here we have a way to surprise our uninvited guest... And by the way, it didn’t make us wait long.
A coal-black blurry spot jumped into the middle of the square we walked across just a few hours earlier. It was the size of a large dog, or perhaps even more accurately a large wolf...
That’s it! It’s a wolf! And it really was kind of strange. It didn’t look like it came from down here. Its powerful muscular body, covered in thick black fur, looked like it was vibrating. When the beast’s elongated snout fell to the earth, I realized it was not actually vibrating. The clearly magical creature emanated black steam or perhaps smoke...
A second later, the monster raised its head. Its glowing red eyes stared directly at us. It knew where we’re hiding.
With an impatient howl, the wolf tore off looking like a ball of pure blackness. When the creature was just ten paces away, I was able to make out what we were up against. A smoky lycanthrope. Level ten. Eh, we’d seen worse...
The harn shot off from the hole in the fence like an armored bolt of lightning and froze, sheltering me behind his back. The lycanthrope, finally having sighted its prey, was acting utterly careless. With a joyous howl, he started running faster.
When the creature came close enough, I whammed it with a Ram.
- You have attacked Smoky Lycanthrope (10)!
- You have dealt 9 damage!
The wolf was already midjump when my spell hit. It flew a few yards back, and its smoking black body froze in place. Gorgie was immediately on the scene. One long pounce and the cat’s scaled body came down on top of its stiff opponent. That is my pet’s most terrifying attack. And if it also got a crit... One pounce could possibly be enough to take down this enemy.
Great! It was critical! But the lycanthrope didn’t die right away. His flagging life supply quickly started filling back up... I’d seen such a thing before... Livid’s wounds healed over just as quickly.
But it didn’t look like the harn was too bothered by that. He was tearing and mangling the immobilized monster, dealing insane damage. Even the most advanced regeneration couldn’t stand up to something like that.
I jumped out from behind the fence just as the tenth second of Ram ticked over. I got inside the fifteen-foot range and hit the thing with an electric shock. Done. I’m dry. I run back. I gave the harn another fifteen seconds’ advantage... But I wasn’t fast enough to get back to the fence... A victory message caught me halfway.
- You have killed Smoky Lycanthrope (10).
- Congratulations! You receive:
- Monster Hunter token (10).
- Small ghostly crystal (2).
I don’t get it. What about tablets? Where are the esses?! I didn’t have time to get really worked up because I suddenly heard a hoarse calm voice behind me:
“Bravo, youngster! Very effective tactic!”
I turned sharply. A few steps away from the lycanthrope’s body, which was slowly dissipating, I saw a strange man. Short. Muscular, lithe. Dressed as a scout but more elegant somehow... The stranger’s oddest feature was his foxlike ears, tail and yellow animalistic eyes with vertical black slits for pupils.
The harn was behind the stranger in the blink of an eye and landed a lightning-fast paw swipe. But no damage landed. The paw went right through his body like smoke. Just like with the door...
“Looks like your pussy cat’s a little hothead,” the stranger chuckled, watching Gorgie’s surprise.
Then he looked at me and said:
“Young man, would you please be so kind as to recall your pet. First of all, I am not going to harm you, and second your pet will not be able to hurt me...”
“Wh-wh-who are you?” I asked, hiccupping.
“Oh!” the stranger threw up his animal arms. “Where are my manners?! Allow me to introduce myself, Sly Redtail — foxman. I am the keeper of this place.”
He gave a slight bow and asked:
“And with whom do I have the honor of speaking?”
“Ahem...” I hesitated. “Eric Bergman, human.”
“Very nice to meet you,” the foxman bowed again. “I’d say we should shake hands the way your kind are wont to do but, alas, it won’t be possible...”
“Why?”
“Because I am merely a cast of the aura of my physical body which, alas, left this world many centuries ago. The easiest way to explain is that I am a ghost...”
“Ah, there it is...”
“But you needn’t fear me. Though I’m sure you’ve heard many tales about the foxfolk before.”
“Yes,” I nodded, looking down in embarrassment.
“Is it really that bad?” seeing my facial expression, Sly Redtail was sincerely surprised.
“Not a lot is good,” I answered. “You’re considered the most dangerous creatures that inhabit the Dark Continent...”
“The Dark Continent?” the foxman asked in surprise. “Never heard of it. I originate from the Emerald Forest, located in the Amberlands.”
“Hm... I’ve never heard of that before.”
“What do you mean?” Sly asked, amazed. “Everyone knows the Amberlands, beyond the Lilac Ocean!”
“Did you say the Lilac Ocean?” it suddenly hit me.
“Correct,” he nodded.
“We learned in school that the ocean used to be called Lilac many centuries ago...”
“What is its name now?” the foxman frowned.
“The Dead Ocean...”
Sly fell silent, crestfallen.
“So that means,” I continued. “We’re talking about the same place...”
“The Amberlands are now...”
“The Dark Continent...” I finished his sentence.
“But why Dark?”
“I don’t know much about that... We were told something very bad once happened there... Now they are the dominion of Gloom.”
“And the foxfolk have sworn allegiance to Her?” Sly asked, horrified.
“Yes, so it is said...”
The silence held for some time. Sly was digesting the news about his homeland and descendants, but I was burning in impatience. I had so many questions!
“Alright,” the foxman finally broke the silence. “I’ve clearly spent too much time down here...”
“And what is this place?” I asked, quickly taking my chance.
“Once, this place was known as Stonetown. It was the final frontier between our world and the worlds of the monsters.”
“And where did all the people go?”
“They died many centuries ago...” Sly answered sadly.
“What happened?” I asked, my heart skipping a beat.
“A breach... The portal connecting our world with the other worlds started malfunctioning... Then we started getting lots of uninvited guests like that lycanthrope...”
The foxman nodded at the place where the harn had just taken down the fell beast.
“Our mages and craftsmen attempted to fix it, but they couldn’t get anywhere. The creatures just kept coming, threatening to drown this world in blood. Magister Ilania suggested we destroy the portal.”
“But she wasn’t able?”
“No. We were able to alter the way the portal functions, but it came at the cost of all our lives...”
> “What about it did you alter?”
“The portal is closed almost all the time now.”
“Almost?”
“Yes. It only opens and lets the otherworldly monsters through once per day for a short window of time. Well to be more accurate, it lets through the casts of their auras...”
“Are they also ghosts?”
“No. Something in between... You see, unlike me, they can be killed. They enter our world in order to obtain a body.”
“And how are they able to do that?”
“By killing a living creature from our world. But with one condition — it must be done while the portal is open. As soon as it closes, the monster will disappear...”
Hm... Now I see what the harn meant when he called the lycanthrope “strange.” Hmm... What a ghastly little place... Time to haul my butt out of here. Me and Gorgie will go back up to the top levels and hunt some more megabats. Of course, there is always the risk of finding something dangerous like a gulper, but that’s still better than here...
“And why did you... hm... stay behind?” I asked a niggling question.
“Before performing the rite, we drew straws. Someone had to stay here to keep watch over the portal. Fate chose me. And as you can see, it had its reasons.”
“And why did you have to stay?” I objected. “The portal is broken; you are a ghost. The beasts continue to appear. Sure, I got lucky with that lycanthrope. But if not? A dangerous magical creature would be racing up to the surface right now.”
“Well, it’s not all so simple,” the foxman chuckled. “The door that let you inside is still powered by magic. It is certainly beyond a lycanthrope’s capabilities.”
“But what if some monster scarier than an overgrown wolf shows up?”
“Now that could be a problem...” Sly sighed heavily. “But in all the years I’ve been down here, I think I found a way of correcting our error. Though honestly, I lack one very important ingredient.”
“What is it?” I asked.
“Ghostly crystals,” Sly smiled sweetly. “Lots of ghostly crystals.”
“Ahem...” I coughed.
“You got some after killing the lycanthrope, didn’t you? Right?” his yellow animalistic eyes stared at me unblinkingly.
“Y-yes...”
“Excellent!” exclaimed the foxman, glinting his fangs. “How many?!”
“Two...”
“Two?! Wonderful! What kind?”
“Small.”
“Very good!” the foxman clapped his hands, then his face turned serious:
“Listen, Eric Bergman. I cannot complete my task without the help of a mortal. Alas, I cannot earn ghostly crystals myself. So I have no choice but to ask you for help!”
With an audible gulp, I took a step back.
“Well, Sly Redtail, I’d love to help but I’m in a hurry. That portal of yours is gonna open again soon, and I don’t want to become some creature’s dinner. And think for yourself... What kind of a monster hunter would I make? After all, I will be eaten for sure... Then a terrifying beast will gain a body and stir up some very serious trouble on the surface...”
The foxman listened calmly, even smiling. It was written on his sly little face - he’d already made up his mind...
“Yes and beyond that,” I made another attempt. “Even if we did stay here, Gorgie and I need to eat something. That’s the name I gave the harn here, by the way...”
“Are you done, youngster?” the foxman asked courteously when I fell silent. And after I gave him a cautious nod back, he continued:
“Then I’ll start from the top... First... You will not die if you do as I say. Second... Neither you nor your Gorgie will die of starvation... And third... This is the most important. Whether you like it or not, you have to stay.”
I felt a lump rising up my throat.
“Why’s that?”
The foxman’s mouth spread into a predatory smile, revealing a set of sharp fangs.
“Because I have just placed a locking spell on the door you used to get in. So whether you like it or not, you can only leave this place when I allow it.”
Chapter 20
“MISTER REDTAIL!” I said, glumly addressing empty space. “Are you still here?”
“I’m always here,” a creaking voice answered from behind me, and asked with a mocking lilt:
“Well, how’d it go? Get through the door?”
I turned around and all I could do was somberly shake my head. We were not in fact able to do a thing. A few hours ago, after the memorable conversation with the treacherous ghost, Gorgie and I bolted for the exit without another word... But we had no luck... The door wouldn’t let us pass... The foxman really had sealed it with magic. And neither my spells nor the harn’s claws could help. The door, a monolithic piece of stone, was blocking our only path to freedom... We had to turn back to the city...
“Like I said!” Sly continued, his chin raised victoriously. “The sooner you realize that helping me is inevitable, the faster we can finish! What do you say?”
“Do I have a choice?”
“No,” the ghost answered categorically. “But I will need you to verbally agree to a few things.”
“Seeing as I have no other choice, I have to submit.”
“So dramatic!” The foxman chuckled. “You can’t even imagine how mutually beneficial this will be for us.”
“I seriously doubt you can give me what I want...” I burbled, hurt.
“And what is it that you want, if you’ll allow me to pry?”
“I want to reach level one,” I blurted out my deepest desire.
“Why?” the ghost asked derisively.
“What do you mean why?” I asked in surprise. “To be like everybody else.”
“What does that mean?”
“Normal...”
“So you don’t want to be special?” Sly’s yellow eyes squinted slightly.
“You sound like my parents...”
“Well young man, is that not a reason to listen to what I have to say?”
“So you’re trying to say that my freakish nature is somehow special in a good way?”
“I’m surprised you haven’t realized it yourself yet... And please, stop calling yourself a freak!”
I had to fall silent. In the last few days, lots of things in my world view had changed. Talking with this strange being had only spawned more confusion.
“Well, alright then,” he distracted me from the contradictory thoughts. “We don’t have much time... The portal will open soon. We need to be there to greet our guests.”
When I heard about the portal and the fact that new creatures would be arriving soon, a cold sweat came over my back.
As if having guessed my thoughts, Sly said:
“Don’t you worry, you’ll have time to prepare... Let’s go...”
“Where?” I asked.
“The statue of Gunnar the Destroyer,” the foxman answered, going up the street that led to the center of town.
All I could do was follow him.
I didn’t have to walk for long. Once we reached the central square, we ducked down a dark narrow side street that brought us to another square, this one smaller.
“This is the forum of Gunnar the Destroyer!” the foxman said solemnly, extending his right hand forward. “And this is his statue!”
In the center of the small rectangular square, there was a plinth, on top of which towered the stone figure of a man. Quite gaunt, dressed like a normal hunter. A sad, tired face. A short beard covering sunken cheeks and a narrow chin. The eyes had a slight squint. On first glance, I’d have said this stone statue depicted an everyday workman, the kind which came a dime a dozen in Orchus. To be perfectly frank, this old dude looked pretty far from a Destroyer...
“I can see skepticism in your eyes, boy,” the foxman said with a mocking lilt. “Were you expecting him to look different?”
I just shrugged, saying nothing. What was there to say...
&n
bsp; Strange as it was, the foxman wasn’t one bit angry. It seemed he liked my reaction. He looked up at the statue with a sad smile.
“That nickname always brought a smile to old Gunnar’s face. For the record, he wasn’t only known as the Destroyer. Vanquisher of the Horror of the Depths, Killer of the Black Fear, Vanquisher of Thunder... And lots more of that kind of thing...”
Dungeons of the Crooked Mountains Page 25
