Monster Hunt NYC: A Fantasy Harem Adventure

by Harmon Cooper

  “I just feel like relaxing.”

  “Well, at least use a mat or a sleeping bag. Besides, the bearadillo shits over here,” she said, offering me a hand. “I’ll show you the good spot.”

  I followed Lady C. and Aya to the pond. Iris reluctantly walked behind us, keeping her head down. I really didn't know what had gotten into her, I mean, I could understand why she was upset with me, but was she really that concerned about Thad?

  It just seemed weird.

  “Okay, first thing,” I told Iris as we sat in front of the pond. Rose and her cub, Gobi, were on the opposite side of the pond, lounging by the water. She looked up as we sat, and then returned her gaze to the dark, purple streaked sky. “Music seems to work.”

  “Music seems to work? What do you mean?” Iris sat next to me and pulled her knees to her chest. Her Proxima clothing resembled what she wore in the real world, aside from the fact that her leggings were lined with a thin strip of neon. She still wore a sweater; stitched across the front was a Space Invader alien.

  “I’ve tested it twice now; it worked with Rose and it worked with the allocamelus. Singing to mythcrea is one way to lure them out. By the way, allocamelus is a hard word to say, can we just call him Joe?”

  “As in ‘Joe Camel?’”

  Lady C. laughed. “That’s a funny name for a camel!” She stood to my left, her hands behind her back as she stared out at the water. Already bored with our conversation, Aya hung from a tree limb doing sit-ups.

  “Yeah, Joe Camel. Or just Joe for short. It’s a guy.”

  “I saw that,” Iris said, a grin spreading across her face. “But let’s get back to what you were saying before. What is this about music?”

  “Music seems to work, or at least, using music has lured two of them out.”

  “What song did you sing?”

  “I kind of made it up on the spot.”

  “I’d love to hear Happy Birthday,” Aya said as she did another sit-up.

  “Later,” Iris promised her. “Really, Chase, what did you sing?”

  “Well, to Rose I sang a song about bears. It went little little bear, little little bear, oh come here little little bear, or something like that.”

  Iris snorted. “That’s ...fucking great!”

  I cringed. “Really?” I thought it was kind of stupid.

  “No, it’s great, really. What about for the camel?”

  “You mean Joe?”

  “Yeah,” she laughed, “Joe Camel.”

  “It’s pretty bad.”

  “Try me,” she said in a way that was borderline flirty.

  “Allocamelus, you have an ass for a face, an ass for a face, and a camel for an ass.”

  Iris fell over laughing.

  “Well, it worked, so don’t make fun of me!”

  “I’m not,” she said, her face flushed from laughing. “Trust me.”

  “So, I want to try it, I want to try to lure them out with more music. Let’s go hunting tonight, or to a Brawl or something using my new add-on. Well, a Brawl won’t work, but we can do that and hit up a hunt easy. What do you think?”

  She shrugged. “I mean, sure, if that’s what you want to do.”

  “And that brings me into my next announcement.”

  “Which is?” she asked curiously.

  “You’re going to like this one,” Lady C. chimed in. Even though she had equipped the book titled Ignis Ignis and was sitting next to us cross-legged with a book on her lap, she was still listening in.

  “I, um, kind of won a token at my last Brawl. It was a drop.”

  “That’s great!”

  “Well, there's a bit more to it than that. Um, I traded the guy for an exclusive code to a tournament happening in two days.”

  “Why did you trade it? You could have done quite a bit with that. I mean, you're trying to get to the next level, right? And the token drops that you can pick up in the real world are transferable, so if you saved up a bunch ...”

  “This isn't just any tournament,” I told her. “This one is put on by some guy called Sagelock, and the prize is pretty awesome.”

  “What is it?”

  “Access to EverLife or ...” I looked at Iris earnestly. “Or a Monster Hunt access code.”

  She pushed away a bit. “Chase, you don't need to get that for me, and besides, I mean, this is a big tournament, there are going to be people far stronger than us there.”

  “It's a tournament for new Alphas. I mean, they have to have become an Alpha this year.”

  “Yeah, but think about that, Chase, they could have become an alpha in like January. It's November now, that's eleven months of leveling. I'm not saying you don't have a strong start here, but you should have kept the token.”

  “Well, why don't you just take a look at this invitation and tell me what you think? It says that there are tiers, so I wouldn't be competing with anyone higher than Level Five or Six. At least that's how I read it.”

  I raised my hand and the tournament details transferred to Iris. The inside of her glasses lit up white, her eyes moving back and forth as she scanned the details. A smile formed on her face.

  “What?”

  “You saw this part about a dress code, right?”

  “Really? After I show you all that, that's your question? That seems a bit odd.”

  In actuality, it didn't seem very odd at all.

  Iris was like that; she always found some small detail or some little part to focus on that someone else hadn’t focused on before.

  It was what made her a great musician.

  She could play those fleeting ghost notes and hit those odd, almost non-existent harmonies with the ease of someone drinking their morning coffee.

  “If you want me to be honest with you, I think it's a long shot. But, you know me, I kind of like a long shot,” she finally said.

  “So you think it's a good idea?”

  “I think we need to get you some new clothes, is what I think. And to do that, we're going to need to win some Proxima dollars, or at least sell some mythcrea to generate some income. How hard do you want to work over the next two days?”

  “Well, do you have class?”

  “Tomorrow's Friday, and I only have a morning class and I have all of Saturday off, of course.”

  “So, are you thinking what I'm thinking?”

  Iris smiled. “If you are thinking about using music to capture mythcrea and then trying to unload them on the free market, all in an effort to get you fancy clothing for an exclusive tournament with the hopes of winning either access to EverLife, or an access code for Monster Hunt, then yes, we’re on the same wavelength. Also, you owe me three hundred dollars, and really, your Dojo still needs some work. We need to get started tonight.”

  “That’s what I’m thinking. You’re awesome, Iris.”

  “I’ve been told that before.”

  “I think you’re both great,” Lady C. said, still focused on her book.

  Chapter Sixteen: Mothman and the Monkey King

  “Are you hungry?” Iris asked, once we spawned back in her apartment.

  That was one way of looking at it, moving from the Dojo to the real world as spawning ... Maybe I was getting too into the game, but then again, there wasn't really much else for me to get into.

  “Yeah, sure,” I told her. “What do you have?”

  Once the NV Visor told me it was okay, I removed the apparatus and reached for my glasses. I placed my glasses on just as Aya and Lady C. appeared in the room.

  “I was thinking of making some quick ramen,” she said.

  “Sounds good.”

  “What's ramen?” Lady C. asked me.

  “It's a dish with noodles.”

  Aya looked at me with a smirk on her face.

  “What?”

  “What do you mean ‘what?”' Iris asked as she moved into the kitchen.

  “I was talking to Aya.”

  “Oh.”

  “She seems disappointed that you weren'
t talking to her,” Aya said as she moved towards me. She sat on the coffee table, one leg crossed over the other, her bulky sword on her back.

  It didn't take long for Iris to boil water, get the noodles going, and chop up a few extra ingredients she wanted to add including garlic, purple onions, and wild ginger, which she said a friend of hers got from some little herbal shop in Chinatown.

  We ate quickly, and I mostly ignored Aya’s comments, only choosing to answer Lady C.’s more pertinent questions.

  Truth be told, I should have made them stay in the Dojo while we ate, but I had grown used to their companionship, and aside from Aya’s sometimes chiding tone, they were enjoyable to be around. Especially Lady Cassandra.

  “Who's ready to get out there and start hunting?” I asked as soon as I finished my ramen.

  “And the dishes?” Iris asked.

  “Right, let me take care of those.”

  After I washed the dishes, I activated the Monster Locator to see that there was a mythcrea not too far away from Iris’ apartment in Clinton Hill.

  “Let’s do it,” Iris said as she packed a small Casio keyboard into a backpack. It was a child’s instrument, but it had two built-in speakers that were pretty loud. She also packed her ukulele.

  “And I don’t suppose you have a tambourine lying around somewhere?” I asked with a smirk.

  “Nope, which makes you the lead songsmith.”

  Lady C. dropped a hand onto my shoulder. “I can’t wait to hear whatever music you come up with next.”

  “Thanks?”

  “You’re welcome.”

  I felt an invisible force pat me on the head and turned to Aya, who winked at me. She still wore the hat she’d picked up from the tournament, and it was currently tilted to the side just a little.

  “You really like that hat, don't you?”

  “Well, you haven't bought me another hat to wear yet, so it will do for now. Keeps my hair down too.”

  “And what was her response to that?” Iris asked as we left her building.

  “She told me to buy her another hat.”

  “I agree, Aya,” Iris said as we reached her stoop.

  It was a cold New York night, and the lights of the city were on display. Aeros moved in the sky above; the occasional bicyclist, jogger, or person coming home late from work passed us on the street.

  We crossed the street and quickly walked a few blocks, Iris playfully arguing with me about what kind of hat would look best on the Thulean. Eventually, realizing the power I had over their conversing ability especially since she couldn’t see or hear them, I told Iris that Aya wanted a top hat, a purple one at that, and I ended the conversation there.

  Besides, there was a mythcrea nearby, and judging by the indicator on my pane of vision, we had just stepped into its vicinity.

  “Weapons out, ladies.”

  Aya’s was already drawn – she had pointed it at me when I suggested a purple top hat – and Lady C. quickly responded, pulling the two blades sheathed at her waist.

  We stood in front of a monthly parking lot full of aeros.

  There wasn’t an attendant or anything, but the place was well-lit, two huge solar-powered street lamps adding a blueish white reflection off the hoods of the vehicles.

  I saw the mythcrea almost immediately, as did Lady C. and Aya.

  He wore a set of loose karate robes that were yellow and tied off by a black sash. He had the face of a monkey, and there was white paint splattered over the bridge of his nose all the way up to his forehead.

  “Sun Wukong,” I whispered to Iris. “Level Twelve, psychological and earth-based magic, worth three tokens.”

  “Got it,” she said as she began her research process.

  Aya took a step forward and I told her to stay back. “Just a second longer,” I said as I waited for any intel we could get on the mythcrea.

  “It’s named after a Chinese mythological figure… Also known as the Monkey King…” Iris kept whispering as she parsed through information.

  “Any weaknesses?” I asked as I felt my hand begin to charge. I glanced down at it and stretched my fingers wide, the energy streaking in the air as I moved my wrist around.

  “Not that I can find,” she said. “I don't think it's a rare catch, but at Level Twelve, it may prove difficult to get. Also, three tokens. Definitely worth it.”

  “Okay, here’s what we should do…” I quickly whispered my idea to Aya and Lady C.

  ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

  Using her ghost limbs to propel herself up, Aya climbed up to the rooftop overlooking the Monkey King. He continued to sit cross-legged on top of an aeros, eating from a sack of apples.

  Across his back was a bow that was wrapped in white tape, and as he ate, he nodded his head back and forth as if he were humming a song, the end of his bow thumping against the rooftop of the vehicle.

  Aya sprang into action, throwing herself down from the rooftop with her buster sword drawn. The monkey man shrieked, leapt into the air, and roundhouse kicked the living shit out of the Thulean.

  She flew left and Lady C. entered the fray. Flourishing both swords, she was just about to strike when she stopped and looked to me for guidance.

  Sun Wukong had completely frozen, his fists at the ready and a mischievous look on his face.

  “Do it!”

  With a graceful twist, Lady C. struck him with both blades.

  The blades bounced off as if she were hitting a statue made of adamantium. She glanced back at me, and I quickly revisited the mythcrea’s stats.

  “Unbreakable Body,” I said as Iris looked on. “Any notes on this one?”

  I know she couldn’t see anything, but the look on her face told me she could totally sense it, plus she had that add-on that let her see colored blobs.

  “Not a lot. People have been very reluctant to post about the newer mythcrea online.”

  “I can just try to catch it,” I said as I moved closer to the monkey man.

  “I don't know if that will work ...” Iris started to say.

  I approached the mythcrea, drew my hand back, and felt the magic radiating up my arm. With one fluid gesture I threw my hand open; the monkey man was hit by a net made of electric light, which, much to my dismay, quickly fizzled out.

  “Nope, trying to capture it won’t work,” I said with a grunt.

  Aya, angry from getting roundhouse kicked, walked over to the monkey-faced man and struck him with her buster sword. It bounced off, but at least she was able to get some stress out.

  “What if we sing to it?” Iris asked as she turned her backpack around. She opened it and took out her keyboard and her ukulele, which was still in its case. She placed the case on the trunk of a yellow aeros and turned the keyboard on with a switch.

  “A song for a monkey man, huh?” I thought about it for a moment. “He’s kind of a Chinese god, or wait, you said it was something like that, right?”

  “Sure, close.” Iris ran her fingers along the keys, playing a pentatonic scale. She found a few chords and kicked into a nice little rhythm that sounded Eastern.

  “I don’t know if I can sing from that.”

  Iris tried humming along to her playing and it didn’t work. The monkey man’s eyes did however shift to us.

  “Well, we’ve got his attention. Um, let me try this.” I cleared my throat and started singing a song.

  “Monkey man, monkey man, the jungle’s best fighting king. Eating fruit, and killing things, the jungle loves its monkey king. Who doesn’t love a monkey king? Who doesn’t love a monkey king? Monkey time, not today, frozen solid, that’s his way.”

  Iris snickered.

  “Your songs are getting progressively stupider.” Aya cracked her buster sword against the monkey man. “Dammit, monkey,” she said, baring her teeth. “Unfreeze and fight for your life!”

  Lady C. stepped up next to me. “Have you thought about singing Happy Birthday?”

  “That can’t possibly work,” I told her.
/>   “What can’t work?” Iris asked.

  “Happy Birthday.”

  “It’s worth a shot.” Iris stepped forward, even though she couldn’t fully see the monkey king. She still was turned in his general direction when she started singing the song.

  “Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you…”

  Sun Wukong’s posture started to change.

  “Happy birthday, Mr. Monkey King, happy birthday to you.”

  Soon he was relaxed, his shoulders moving up and down as he breathed.

  I started charging my hand as Aya and Lady C. lifted their weapons.

  “There's no need for violence,” he said, clearing his throat. “I will come graciously, for you have remembered something that no one I know remembered today. A sad day really, even if I've grown a year older, which I'm fine with, the fact that no one remembered my birthday ...”

  “It's your birthday?” Lady C. asked. She lowered her weapons and smiled at him, a genuine smile that lifted her cheeks and softened her eyes.

  “Alas, young lady, it is my birthday, and I am now three thousand and five years old.”

  Aya too lowered her weapon. It was still at the ready, which I'd come to expect from the Thulean.

  “I will go to your Dojo, will I not?” he asked.

  “Yes, and we are in the process of, um, renovating and improving the space,” I told him. “So there's not much right now; please don't be too disappointed.”

  Iris chuckled. “This is a really interesting conversation to hear considering I can only hear one side of it.”

  “She can't see me?” Sun Wukong asked.

  “No, she can't, but you can meet her at the Dojo.” My hand started to charge. “I would love to discuss more with you, but we have a pretty tight deadline approaching.”

  “Deadline?”

  “There's a tournament in less than two days that we are preparing for.”

  “I see.” He considered this for a moment, running his hand along his small goatee. “Then I will do my best to help!”

  The energy burst forth from my fingertips, wrapping Sun Wukong in a net of light. He was gone in the blink of an eye.

  ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

  “We can't trade him,” I said as soon as he was gone.