Notes on Monster Hunting

by Chad Retterath

It seems like we’ll go with the witch hunt. Jenn’s return should mean that it’s the closest hunt. Although Prenn and Yutt are much slower than she is. The scouts are all experts on horseback and damn fast on foot. They would all get angry with me if they knew I was comparing speeds. It’s not like I can do more than just sit on a horse anyway. I hid in the shed during my riding lessons as a child.

  Jenn arrived at our fire with a handsome, muscular man behind her. I didn’t recognize him, but he carried a keg.

  “Thanks,” she said as she dropped a few coins in his hand. She winked and sat heavily beside me. “Beer’s on me.”

  The man walked away and Groose was immediately at the keg filling a mug. It was a dark amber beer, a bit foamy from being carried about. Lopuk handed Jenn a roast leg of something and some salted fish.

  “Is it true you don’t sleep while scouting?” I asked.

  “Kind of,” Jenn said with a mouthful of food. “I sleep on my horse some of the time or take quick naps when I need them. Who told you? Was it Oitter?”

  Oitter shook his head and filled his mouth with beer.

  “He’s jealous,” said Jenn. “He has to stop and sleep. It slows him down.”

  Day 76

  Prenn came back in the morning. He found a small hunt. Paid about twenty gold to kill an “unknown monster” that killed a guy’s chicken. It doesn’t pay enough to bring the whole company and it’s too far to even send a squad. Cremn said it was just a fox anyway.

  Prenn slept until dinner. He ate a lot then wandered around town to stretch his legs. Jenn harassed him for being slow until Oitter quieted her down.

  We were all getting restless again. Staying in one place for a long time never ends well. Staying on the road and keeping busy is the best for all of us.

  Yutt had gone straight south. Still no news from him.

  Day 78

  Yutt rode into Grendlehorn just before midnight. He didn’t find anything and he wasn’t happy about it. Arriving last was never fun. The other three said awful things until Yutt kicked Oitter in the shin. I guess that was the sign to stop.

  Skrale gathered us in the morning and announced we would be taking the witch contract. The sergeants had all discussed it over breakfast.

  I’ve never seen a witch. The company took a contract years ago, a bit before I joined. They’re known as some of the most vicious monsters. Somehow related to spiders, but I don’t see how a small spider could be anything like the giant witches I’ve heard about.

  Cremn ordered us to spend the night cleaning swords and checking our food reserves.

  Fourth got together to decide meals. Palon bought some salted meat for a steep price. I guess that’s what happens when all your cattle die. Groose bought a whole bag of greens. They didn’t look fresh. Where did they come from? It was too early in the season to grow anything.

  I grabbed some bottles of beer and bread. The hunt would be some days out still.

  Day 81

  Cremn stood over Groose as he put together a few more of his bombs. The sun was quickly going down and Palon was cooking some venison steaks. Heff managed to get the deer yesterday and split the meat with the company.

  Cremn was intense. He has his moments, but he jokes more than he’s serious.

  “I don’t need the supervision, sergeant,” said Groose. I could hear the irritation in his voice. He did a nice job of covering it, but I know Groose too well.

  Cremn crouched beside Groose and patted his shoulder. “Right. Sorry, Groose. Just a tad nervous.”

  “I know. I can manage on my own. We’ll have enough. Trennor should be making a few as well.”

  Cremn nodded and stood. “Beatrice, follow me.”

  I set my beer down. “Nobody touch it.” I glared at Kully and Ralet.

  Cremn and I walked away into the growing dark. He yawned and looked at the sky.

  “Beautiful, isn’t it?”

  “It is,” I said. He still seemed tense. “What’s going on?”

  He smiled and placed his hand on my shoulder. “You’re my right hand. You know that?”

  “Yeah, I do.” But it was nice to hear it.

  “Skrale expects a lot from you too. We’ve been discussing it. He wants to see how you handle yourself in this hunt.”

  We stopped walking. Cremn leaned against a tree and yawned again.

  “He wants to promote you to corporal for Fourth squad, if you want it.”

  “I would.”

  Cremn sat and patted the ground beside him. The setting sun turned the sky orange. It was peaceful.

  “You weren’t around for the last one. For the last witch. I want you to be careful. This isn’t going to be normal. Skrale has some ideas. Me and Heff said it was a bad idea, but Teke and Lekk liked the idea. We all saw what happened last time. Nobody wants a repeat.” He took a deep breath and scratched at his knee. “So keep Skrale safe and it’ll go smoothly.”

  “What’s the plan?”

  “He’ll tell you later. I just wanted to prepare you. The others don’t need to know everything yet. Now, we should get back and get some of the food.”

  We stood and he tossed his arm around my shoulder as we walked back.

  “You always make me proud, Bea.”

  We got back and my beer was gone. Kully immediately pointed to Ralet, who shook his head.

  “You’re both full of shit,” I said. “You owe me.”

  Kully filled my mug with wine he had stashed away.

  “You didn’t even give me a chance to rinse it.”

  Groose groaned. “Nothing is ever good enough for you.”

  He was resting against a log with some meat in a bowl on his stomach. His bag of bombs was sitting in front of his tent.

  “Sorry, Beatrice. My belly is hungry and that makes my brain hurt,” said Groose.

  Kully walked over and poured Groose some wine and whispered something to him. Groose laughed and the bowl fell on the ground.

  He grabbed the meat and tried to brush the dirt off. “Dammit,” he said quietly, then took a bite.

  Jenn walked over and gently kicked me.

  “Skrale needs you.”

  “Me?” I asked.

  She nodded and sat.

  “Thanks. I’ll head over when I finish eating.”

  “Can I have some?” She leaned over and looked at my food.

  Cremn cleared his throat and grabbed her attention. “How about you fuck off?”

  Jenn stood and mocked Cremn as she walked off to a different fire. We laughed and Kully poured some wine for everyone.

  “Where is this from?” I asked.

  “Not sure,” said Kully. “Found it in the back of the cart. Near the axes.”

  “Is it even Fourth’s?” asked Cremn.

  Kully shrugged and took a drink.

  I walked the short distance to First’s fire. Orkin nodded and pointed at the captain’s tent. I stepped inside and found Skrale and Teke sitting on the ground with a collection of glass things between them. A small fire was lit beneath one of the containers that held a bubbling liquid. The whole thing looked so strange.

  “Beatrice,” said Skrale. “Come, sit down. Want a drink?”

  “No thanks,” I said. I sat on the ground beside them.

  Teke poured something into a different container. A mix of smells seemed to spiral the contraption. The bitter smell of strong tea, a noxious scent, and a sweet smell. All of it was disorienting.

  Skrale dug through a bag on his other side, then straightened and smiled. He showed me a leatherbound book wrapped in a string. It looked worn.

  “Take it,” he said as he placed it on my knee.

  Teke clinked two containers together and poured something in another. I was trying to ignore it all.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “My old journal. Long before you started yours. It covers a lot. About my time studying and when I first started hunting. Keep most of it to yourself for now. There should be plenty in there to help fix any co
nfusion of the past before you joined.”

  “Thank you.” I wanted to open it and start reading, but it seemed like it would be rude.

  “Has Cremn talked to you?”

  I nodded.

  Teke chuckled and shook his head.

  “I assumed.” Skrale smiled. “He’s never patient. We can skip all that then. You’re willing to accept corporal if it comes to it?”

  I nodded again. Too nervous to say anything.

  “Then, let’s have a drink and talk about the hunt.” Skrale grabbed three mugs and poured wine for us. He sipped it and coughed. “That is terrible.” He took another drink.

  Teke took a big drink, then set the mug down and added something else to the containers.

  “It’s our new way to defeat a witch,” said Skrale. He caught me staring.

  “What is it?”

  Teke took another drink, then handed me a list scribbled on a piece of paper.

  “It’s a mixture that will induce a mental state that is capable of withstanding the witch’s mind control.”

  Skrale nodded. “That’s basically it. It creates a state of pure rage. Whoever takes it will only want to attack.”

  “Why not use bows and bombs to take out the witch?”

  Teke smirked.

  “We’ve thought of that,” said Skrale. “But they have a hard skin. Using both would have some effect, but they are unbelievably fast in their natural forms. After one tellick bomb, a witch would be in the middle of the group with a few people under her control. There has to be a target for her to focus.”

  “And who is that target going to be?” I asked.

  Skrale smiled. “Me.”

  “Isn’t that dangerous?”

  Skrale stood and lifted his shirt. A huge, dark scar ran across his whole stomach.

  “I would rather fight a witch head on than deal with this again. A hunter did this under the control of the witch. The only one of us to ever die.”

  “So, how can I help?”

  Skrale poured more wine in my mug. “You’ll lead a group of ranged fighters. Widdy and your choice of two other marksmen. You’ll also be in charge of Groose, Wennel, and Trennor. Lekk will lead another squad that will stand purely as backup if the witch gets too close to your squad. I’ll take the potion and rush the witch. I need you to hit it with everything you have before I reach it. All out of its mind control range, of course. You’ll have time over the next couple days to plan with your small squad.”

  I nodded. “Anything else, sir?”

  “Nothing, but you’re welcome to stay for a while if you’d like.”

  I stayed in Skrale’s tent until late talking to him and Teke about some of our favorite animals. Ones we wouldn’t want to hunt.

  Day 82

  This morning I picked Ralet, Lopuk, and Iliun as my other marksmen. I met with them and Widdy and filled them in a bit more from what they had already been told. They were all interested, but worried about the potion. Widdy assured us that Skrale wouldn’t make any mistakes.

  We had a slow start. Our travels continued just before noon. It was a slow pace too. I suspect that Skrale was trying to save some energy. He must also be nervous for the hunt.

  Groose walked beside me all afternoon. He showed me each bomb, like something would be different in my eyes. They all looked the same, except the coloring.

  “But look at these two,” he said. He held two orange tellick bombs.

  “Groose, they look the exact same.”

  “But they weigh just a little different.”

  I grabbed both. They also felt the same. I told him.

  “I can’t believe you’re in command this time.”

  I smiled and nudged him. “Jealous?”

  He shook his head. “I’d make a terrible leader.” He put all of the bombs back into his bag. “Just don’t get me killed.”

  I hugged him. He hugged me back and didn’t say anything for a long time. I didn’t immediately notice the lack of snow. The air was warm and the ground was clear. Warm for the time of the year. Not warm warm. The plants had yet to recover from the winter, but the grass was coming back. Traveling south did that, I guess. The rest of my life, snow would clear until late in spring. Now, spring had only begun and it already looked like it would be the warmest year I’ve seem. I also love finding new flowers and animals as we travel. I hope we make it to the ocean. I’ve heard about the smell of salt from all around and the calming sounds of waves.

  Groose handed me a waterskin and offered me some dried berries he had.

  “I’ve been thinking of how to make some new munitions,” he said.

  I ate some of the berries. I didn’t recognize them. They were sour and crunchy. Not sure if I like them or not.

  “How would you make new ones?” I asked with my mouth full.

  “Just different combinations of powders. I do always look for other powders when we go to new places. They never have any, but I like to look. Alchemy hasn’t changed much in a long time. Just the same four powders.”

  “What is the actual purpose of something like oiled powder? I’ve only seen you, Trennor, and Wennel make things explode with it.”

  “Alchemists use it medicinally. It makes any blockages slide right out.”

  “I regret asking.”

  “Want to test it?” Groose grabbed a wooden box and opened it. A pile of oiled powder filled the inside.

  “Close that before you spill it,” I said.

  Skrale’s journal has been fascinating me all night. “The University of Tellincroft”. I’ve never heard of the place, but it must be where Skrale and Teke went to school. I’ll have to ask him more about it another time. Some of the entries are about people in the company, and some are about monsters. I flipped through until I found one, which I’m going to copy into here. It will help me build a guide.

  On Witches:

  Apex Predator.

  - Camouflages as the creature whose nest it controls.

  - Uses mind control to force creatures to kill themselves or others before feasting on the corpses. Older witches, or more powerful young ones, can control whole groups of people or creatures.

  - Can also defend itself with its fangs or the dagger-sharp points on the end of its legs.

  A witch was responsible for the infamous ‘Slaughter in Cienek’ after it was put into an arena with gladiators.

  Considered hostile. Always hunted if it lives anywhere near humans.

  Day 85

  We stopped in a village and traded for dried meats and had our swords sharpened by their blacksmith. He was happy to work on some weapons after only working on tools. It wasn’t the best sharpening I’ve seen, but it was good enough. He seemed happy to do something different.

  I felt like I planned too early. There were still a few days after my meeting with Skrale before we would run into the witch, so why did I get so worried so quickly?

  The days felt like they melted together for a brief time. I had some fun moments with Groose, Palon, and the others, but it was a few days of walking, grunle, then sleep. And I hate grunle. I let Jenn and Heff or Lekk fill in for me when I had the chance.

  We arrived at Korlen this morning. A woman cried when she saw us. These people have been terrified of the woods for so long because of the witch. I hope we can solve this problem for them.

  Skrale and Teke gathered all the additional information they could. They found the location of the witch and its current appearance. Just a short walk into the woods at an old lady’s house. Witch’s often take the appearance of their first victim where they decide to nest. So we’ll be fighting an old lady today.

  I gathered my small team. We decided to use crossbows, but we only have four. I’ll be using a bow, which I’m more comfortable with anyway. The munitions experts were ready to go. Groose kept smirking.

  Lekk and Teke had Urny, Orkin, and Rexel for their team. Skrale briefed us on everything he knew and our squad’s plans, again. He put out a strong aura. I wanted t
o believe he wasn’t nervous at all. It is Skrale after all. He can walk into and out of anything.

  Cremn approached from behind and placed his hand on my shoulder.

  “Make me proud.”

  I hugged him.

  “Not professional,” said Cremn.

  “Not professional at all, Beatrice,” said Groose.

  I hugged Groose too.

  “Ready?” asked Skrale.

  It’s hard to put everything into words. Stories never truly explain the things you see. No words can ever match seeing something. It was horrible.

  Witches are the most horrifying creatures I’ve ever encountered.

  This is my account of the hunt. Only hours ago, but it feels like days.

  Skrale led us down a small dirt trail into the woods. Old, rotting leaves covered the forest floor and the trees had not yet recovered from the winter. It was a quiet forest. The gray sky above and the windless day felt like omens.

  Skrale paused and pointed. A small cottage sat in a clearing only a few hundred feet ahead. A small, hunched lady paced in front of the door. The house itself had cobwebs and mold on the outside. My squad readied their crossbows and aimed. We took positions behind some trees, stepping as quietly as possible over the dead leaves.

  Groose, Wennel, and Trennor were ahead of us by a couple trees. Lekk and the rest went to the left, on the other side of the witch. Teke and Skrale both sat on the ground. Skrale took some deep breaths and closed his eyes as Teke poured his mixture into a mug. I could see steam rising from it.

  Lekk’s squad was there for direct help if Skrale cannot handle the fighting or if mind control takes over anyone. Mine was purely ranged reinforcements and to initiate combat. I hoped Lekk’s squad didn’t need to move in to fight.

  Skrale drank the mug and stood. He nodded to us. The color drained from his face and blood dripped from his nose.

  On my order, my squad fired at the old lady. My arrow struck her neck, and Widdy’s stuck in her ribs beneath her armpit. It felt wrong, until a growl erupted from her. The ground shifted and broke apart. The black, furry form of the witch rose from below. The old lady stayed on top, slowly bending forward until her head merged and became part of the hundred eyes of the witch’s true head. The whole form was twice the height of a man. It was almost just a giant spider, but much more horrifying than I expected. The eight legs ended in sharp points and dug up the earth. The legs and its face were covered in hard, rock-like plates, while the rest of its body was covered in black hair. The arrows remained stuck in the back of its head, but the old lady form had disappeared entirely.