Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Epilogue
Monster Hunting 401
Copyright © 2021 LitRPG Freaks
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from the author.
Chapter 1
How many times had I seen my own blood, pouring down my arms? How many times had I suffered wounds that would have killed any lesser being in a single blow? Honestly, I was beginning to forget what life had been before my transformation from a nurse into a killing machine known as a Venator. And I didn’t know if that was really a good thing.
“I’ve got him!” shouted one of the nameless hunters from behind me, his voice excited and exhilarated. Ropes were in his hands, attached to long wicked hooks that had just dug into the wings of a particularly nasty wyvern.
This immense beast was the size of a barn, with long leathery wings that stretched out to almost twenty feet in length. Its body was black as the night’s sky, wormlike, with four protruding claws on its belly—claws that had dug into my arms, tearing through the flesh as if it were nothing more than tissue paper. But nevertheless, it had fallen into our trap. On both sides, our hunters had managed to throw their hook-ropes into the creature’s wings.
Teams of men and women on both sides grabbed onto the ropes and heaved with all their might, forcing the beast’s wings to stretch out, suspending the creature in midair. Like a fly caught in a spider’s web, the wyvern shrieked and twisted, trying to get free, but the combined strength of our hunting clan was too much for it to resist.
The beast, held suspended in midair, was no match for my arrows, nor the arrows of the eight students behind me, all who had been hiding in the bushes, waiting for this opportunity. Arrow after blood-soaked arrow flew through the air, riddling the nightmare full of holes. Black blood oozed from the beast as it jerked, left to right, in one final attempt to be free. And then, it slumped over, dead, hanging from the ropes that suspended its wings in place.
A routine exercise for the new recruits. Nothing special about it, save for the curious creatures who stood in the distance, observing our every movement. They called themselves the Masara and they were not from our realm. These blue gembeasts, creatures formed from blue crystal, were explorers and researchers, scientists from a place far, far from our own world. Meant to sail through our world in complete secrecy, they had been stranded by a terrible foe who had been hunting them. That same foe would go on to destroy nearly the whole of humanity.
I was standing at the cusp of finally learning the truth about the monsters that plagued our land, and where they came from. No one had ever been able to figure out how the Titans arrived, or why they came here. But those Masara, quietly observing our hunting methods in the distance, knew the answer. And they weren’t quite willing to share the truth with us yet.
The Masara were intelligent, that was for sure, for they understood that this information was of the utmost importance to the remnants of humanity. And, proving their own savvy, they refused to just hand over what they knew. They had an agenda of their own and while the idea of mutual cooperation was greatly appealing to my own side, they were less enthused about the prospect of joining us. We would need to prove ourselves to them.
“Well?” I shouted, turning to face the creatures as they watched in silence. The Council, as I called it, was composed of six blue Masara, tall and featureless. Their octagonal heads swiveled towards me in unison. They could not communicate in our own language, nor even comprehend that our language was anything more than mere animal sounds. The telepathy charm I wore was our only link to communication. The only way I could prove that humanity was indeed intelligent.
Your methods of hunting are acceptable, the lead Masara said. They had no names of their own, but I nicknamed him Brain, simply because he was the one in charge of the whole operation. He was the only one who ever spoke. Though your extraction methods are crude and inefficient.
I glanced over at the dead wyvern to see the hunting team busy harvesting the creature for Bloodpoints and crafting material. We make do with what we have, I replied. Are you satisfied or do you wish to watch us kill yet another Titan on your behalf?
I detect hostility in you, Avery. A primal emotion that leads you to angry, aggressive decisions. Useful for hunting and killing. One might call it a flaw, but we believe anger to be part of the survival drive of organic life forms, Brain ranted. Working with the Masara was a bit trying, for they had a habit of looking at everything in a cold and clinical manner, often describing observations about me or my people. It was jarring at first, endearing for a short while and then mostly just annoying.
I am frustrated with you. You hold secrets that we need in order to survive, yet you insist that we perform tricks for you to satisfy your curiosity. Men and women will die without the secrets that you carry.
There was silence for a moment from Brain. He was conferring with the others through a short series of soft “aup” sounds. They all bristled back, making different variations of the same sound, some high and some low. One Masara in particular began to shake quite violently, its vibrations giving off a strange ringing sound. I had been in their presence long enough to know that this was an argument.
We require more data to believe you are trustworthy of our secrets, Brain finally said after a few minutes of back and forth with his allies. Anger, that supposed “survival drive”, rose up within me and I felt an urge to fire a few arrows, but I held back. The council back home had been entirely clear with me about this matter.
“Jump through any and all hoops,” Higgins, my beloved husband and newfound leader of New Olmstead had said. “We need their information more than anything.”
“It is true,” Verna had agreed. “What secrets they know will be worth any task they give to you. Prove yourself a hundred times if you must. If these creatures truly know the nature of our foe, we must earn their favor and trust.”
What more can we provide you? You have watched us hunt. You have seen us slay the mighty Titan outside the mountain. We are more than capable of killing any monster that stands in our path.
Brain shifted a little and tilted his head to the right, prompting the rest of the council to do so as well. This has been a preliminary trial. To observe if you are up for the real task, he said. I felt the strong, near overwh
elming urge to grab my bow and show him what a real task looked like, but even Josiah’s Storm sent me a strong warning not to do so.
So this has been a test to lead up to the real test? I replied. Why waste so much of our time?
The preservation of life is of the utmost importance to us. The preservation of your lives, to be specific. You are a precious resource that cannot be replicated easily. And thus, we must be sure that you are ready.
I frowned at that but felt a bit of my annoyance dissipate. They cared about us? I didn’t know if these creatures were capable of lying or of flattery, for they spoke in rambling, detailed fashion devoid of all forms of manners or filters. Ready for what, exactly?
For entering the Shadewood to retrieve the key to unlocking everything from us, Brain said. For what we know is useless without what rests within that terrible place.
And what is it you want me to find? I asked, feeling a shudder run down my spine. Most of the telepathic communication was a mix of feelings, images and words extrapolated from a mix of those two. All I could feel from Brain was a pure sense of terror. True, unbridled terror.
The Vessel, came the reply. Vessel was a rough translation. It was closer to container or moving bucket. Something mobile, at least. Within the Vessel is everything we know. All knowledge stored in a single body. You would call the Vessel a captain, or leader, maybe even a king. Without the Vessel, we are fractured. Disjointed. Confused.
Interesting. I always felt there was something holding Brain back when he spoke. I had assumed it was simple secrecy. The idea of them missing an important part of their ranks made sense. Brain never seemed quite capable of telling me everything, though he was quite friendly.
Get to the Shadewood, find your captain and bring him home. Easy enough, I replied. I glanced back at the various hunters who were now cleaning up the tremendous mess we had made in the forest. That damn wyvern was certainly a bleeder. We had about fifty Venators available for such a big mission. More than enough to enter those woods and find a single Masara.
As if reading my thoughts, Brain interjected, sending images of hundreds of corpses. They were tiger-human hybrids, like Rashar. Do not think you are the first to find us. Many have gone to the Shadewood to bring us the missing Vessel. None have returned. Those hunters were greater than your lot. Of what we have observed, only you have a chance of returning alive. We estimate your chances of survival at 15%. All others observed are estimated to have a 1% chance of return.
Those were low odds. Too low for me to make the call for sure. This was going to have to be decided by vote. Was it worth throwing all those lives away, just to find out the truth? Or would I have to go it alone inside a place I had never heard of?
Chapter 2
The decision was unanimous. I had thought there would be a long discussion, a series of back and forth about the merits of sending a large group of people out, to increase our chances of success, but…there was no struggle. No fight. Trent, Verna and Higgins all agreed at once. Sending me into the Shadewood alone was the only option here. The strongest argument was that we simply could not afford any losses other than absolutely necessary.
The hunters in Beanpole, Stonecutters as we called them, would not be interested in going on such a long mission. And that meant we needed to keep an equal number of our own here, just in case. The recent change in the Stonecutters leadership had led to some tension between Maxwell’s Breach and the hunters who envied their underground home. There wasn’t any trouble right now…but Trent could sense trouble brewing. As could the Stonecutter’s new leader. Sending large quantities of our own out could be seen as an opportunity…and frankly, Verna was displeased with the idea of sending anyone out on what was most likely a suicide mission. Anyone but me, that is.
Of course, I had the power of veto. As the leader of Hunter’s Hope, it was within my full authority to order as many men and women into the woods as we had. But I had come to terms with the fact that my specialty was in the field. I was an excellent leader in the fight and in the hunt, but when it came to long-term decision making? I simply didn’t have the time nor energy to really think those things through. It was on Trent and Verna to manage both the day-to-day of the fort as well as the long-term operations.
As I sat alone in my room, packing my rucksack slowly, putting in all the clothes I’d need for the long journey, I could not help but wonder if they had made the right decision. I didn’t want to see good people die needlessly…but being sent in all alone?
“You still sulking?” came a voice from outside the door. It was Higgins, cautious to not enter our room, knowing that I wasn’t in the best of moods after the council decision.
“You should be sulking too,” I replied. “You won’t be seeing me for a long, long time.”
“I barely see you as it is,” Higgins said as he wheeled into the bedroom. He was looking far healthier than he had in a long time. Ever since he managed to take control of New Olmstead, ousting his father and establishing a more democratic process, he had been too busy to be sick about his disability. He was eating well, working hard and had quite the vigor when I came home to him from my long trips. Though I still wanted desperately to cure him of his inability to walk, the dream of it seemed to fade from his mind. He was living in the real world, one where he was making a great difference. And I had no interest in bringing up that discussion anymore.
Part of me wanted to show him exactly what he wouldn’t be seeing for a while, but…a coldness had sort of descended upon me once the decision had been made. An anxious feeling in my stomach was quick to remove all sense of playfulness that reared its head. I sighed and faced my bag again, continuing to pack.
“You seem quite distraught,” Higgins whispered as he rolled up to me. He placed a hand on my knee, but I continued packing. “What’s the matter?
“I…” the words got caught in my throat. Was it really so hard to admit weakness? My fear? Perhaps saying it out loud would make these feelings a reality.
“Tell me,” Higgins said, his hand working its way up to my cheek, gently turning it upwards to look at him. In those eyes, I could see such kindness and love. Such care for me.
“I don’t want to be alone,” I confessed, turning away from him out of shame. “I know it sounds stupid but…I was alone on the surface for such a long time. And then, we started elevating new Venators. And I wasn’t alone anymore. Not for long stretches of time, anyway. And…well, the idea of going into a foreign place far, far away from here, all by myself…” I trailed off. “I know it sounds so pathetic.”
“Sounds human more than anything,” Higgins said, gently grabbing me and pulling me into his arms. I sank into his grasp and sat on his lap, sighing heavily.
“I just…I thought we were close to something big with those little blue men, you know? And now I’m finding out that I only have half of the key. The other half is so far off and now I gotta go it all alone. At least when I had others around, I didn’t feel so alone.”
“I think this is the part where I’m supposed to say all sorts of sappy things, like you’re never alone or I’ll be with you always,” Higgins said, resting his head on mine. “But I know that stuff doesn’t do any good.”
“Thanks for skipping the clichés,” I replied. I was silent for a time, reflecting on everything. The world seemed to be spinning so fast these days, faster than I could get a grip on. “I think this will be my last journey for a while,” I whispered. “I can’t keep going like this.”
“Well, if you can find this Vessel, I don’t think you’ll have to keep pushing. Who knows what secrets these creatures have for us? You said they came from some other place, right? What if they know how to return to their own world? Maybe we could just leave this place.”
“Leave?” I repeated, sitting up and looking at him. “What do you mean?”
“When your house burns down, you don’t try to make a home out of the rubble,” he said with a shrug. “You move som
ewhere else. We’ve got enough people to reboot humanity. Fighting for the surface has proven to be quite difficult. So…maybe these creatures will show us how to leave. Find some other world, one that hasn’t burned down yet.”
Those words seemed to strike a rage within me. Leave? Leave our home world? I leapt off my husband and turned to look at him. “You’ve got to be kidding me!”
“What’s the matter?”
“We’re not going to pack up and run to some other place, hoping against hope that some other world will take in strangers. Or worse, lead these horrors to another unspoiled world,” I shook my head. “This is our home. This world. I’m not leaving it to these creatures.”
Higgins frowned. “I, er, wasn’t trying to pick a fight. If anything I was just stating…well, the official opinion a lot of us have.”
More people felt this way? “Who else feels like this?”
“Avery…you’re in the minority here. If we have a chance at a fresh start in some other place, we’ll take it in a heartbeat. It’s not a loss, it’s a major victory.”
I shook my head. Finding a way to verbalize how I felt about this idea was rather hard, so I just held my tongue. There was no way in hell I was about to give up on our homeworld. Not when we had kept running into colony after colony of remaining humans. Could we so easily just leave all those people behind?
“I suppose that’s a conversation for another day,” I said, feeling my old vigor begin to return. I don’t know why, but the flash of anger seemed to awaken me. Perhaps it was one of the long-term effects of the Hunter’s Stare, or maybe I now had something more important than my own self-pitying to think about. Either way, my sorrow seemed to fade. It was instead replaced with a strong, fiery determination to not give up on our world. To not just tuck our tails in between our legs and run. Our children would live under the sun—this sun! And no one was going to convince me otherwise.
Chapter 3
The passage of time seemed almost nonconsequential. One moment I was saying goodbye to my husband, the next I was gearing up in the armory and then…I was on the road. These events seemed to happen so quickly and so routinely that I barely registered any of it. Everyone treated this mission as if it were just another humdrum day in the life of a Venator. After all, I was Huntmaster Avery, the best of the best. The strongest there was. The woman who could lose limb or eye and just grow it back like it wasn’t a problem.
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