The Hunter's Guide to Monsters

Gysavur listened intently as they concluded the events that happened during their trip to Rakaens and back. He leaned back in his chair.

"It is nothing that hasn't happened before," he murmured. "Nearly a century ago, the Bloodcrows were even hired to disrupt our village. They played havoc on our deliveries."

He then quirked a smile at them. "Unlike that time, everyone has returned hale. I am glad."

The younger members of the delivery crew grinned back.

"Did you doubt us?" Menrike all but pouted.

"Who do you think we are," Jarihar crossed his arms smugly. "As if a few bandits would be a problem."

"As if you fought any," snorted Qemelai.

Krow hid a smile. The people who accompanied him to the cave mouth had pushed Jarihar to the back and taken down the bandits before he could protest too much.

"You didn't either!"

"Young ones…"

"Avu," Menrike piped up, more seriously. "What are we going to do?"

The others quieted.

"Do not worry. They won't do anything more in the near future."

Psh, yeah they won't.

How much did they expend on this whole attempt? According to the bandit, it wasn't Tamvost that hired them, but a town called Bruskarel.

Like the town Morumain mentioned, Tumungast, it was a town that traded mostly in herbs and meat.

The motives would be similar, likely.

Bruskarel might even be the backer that incited Tamvost to act.

Tamvost, the bandit group – it must have taken a minor fortune to sway all those people to their demands.

Even for minor Guild Quests, the reward cost hundreds of drax.

Hulach snorted, of the same mind. "Small towns can't afford to buy bandit groups like that endlessly. In addition, we won against their hired men, wiped them out even. That means other bandits would hike up their prices if ever they are approached to go against us again. Not cheap."

Gysavur nodded. "It will be awhile before anyone tries again. A few years at least."

Krow wasn't that optimistic.

The creators called the expansion 'Masters of War', after all.

What was a warmaster without armed, bloody battles?

"Also," Jarihar added. "Death the Shadow has placed his favor on the village!"

The chuckles that sounded at that had Krow sighing. He glared at the younger draculkar. He'd unequipped his armor, but the jokes hadn't stopped.

Even Gysavur sent him an amused glance. Thankfully, he kept to business.

"And these child bandits?"

"Refugees," Jamutaltei answered her father. "The conflict in Eastern Marfall has descended into destroying villages."

"You brought them back with you."

"We did."

Gysavur and Jamutaltei had a brief staring contest.

Huh, was Gysavur not approving of his daughter's actions? She decided to bring the camp of children and mafmet back to the village.

Then the village head sighed. "I would like to speak to them."

"I'll inform them." Jamutaltei nodded and moved toward the door.

The others took that as their cue to start leaving the office.

"Krow." Gysavur reached into a drawer. He placed a pouch in Krow's hands. "Thank you, once again."

[You've finished the quest |:Herb Delivery Escort:| with no casualties and no product lost, gaining +20 Experience Points, +1 Golden Drax, +5 Reputation Points in Cerkanst!]

[You've finished the Sub-objective: Who Looms Behind Tamvost? gaining +5 Experience Points, +2 Silver Serpens!]

[You've finished the Hidden Sub-objective: Refugee Rescue, gaining +10 Experience Points, +5 Silver Serpens, +1 Reputation Points in Guinsant Alliance Territory!]

[Quest Completion: SS]

[Due to exemplary completion, a bonus of 10 drax has been awarded by a grateful quest-giver!]

Jamutaltei stayed behind.

Menrike glanced at them, a slightly worried expression on her face. Krow patted her shoulder as he passed. She sighed, followed him.

"They're not really fighting, are they?"

"No." They probably were. Gysavur didn't seem the type to turn away kids in need, but then again Krow had only been here a short time. At the very least, something about the additional passengers the carts came back with made him uncomfortable.

"They have these discussions all the time," Hulach yawned. "Don't worry about it."

Due to finishing up with the bandit interrogation, then dealing with the separate group of bandit children and their crotchety caretaker, they spent the night in the cave. Hulach had taken the moonset watch.

Krow let him and Menrike walk on ahead.

Most of his attention was on the hidden sub-objective of the escort quest.

Rescuing the children wasn't his work. Not directly. It was Jamutaltei and the others who talked to the old mafmet and offered potions.

And yet, it showed up in his quest notifications.

That was actually possible?

The implications…

Well now. That gave him ideas.

A cough brought him out of his focus the swirl of his own thoughts.

A boy stood before him.

Vaguely familiar.

Ah, the kid bartender. "…Tal, wasn't it?"

"Talebrech."

"Were you looking for me, Talebrech?"

"Yessir, I was. I wanted  to…I hoped to ask…"

Krow raised his brows, curious now. "What is it?"

A look of determination firmed on the boy's face. He met Krow's eyes. "Would it be possible to ask for an apprenticeship?"

Eh?

From him?

It wasn't a path he'd considered. At least not for Redlands.

But.

It was an idea.

The boy was getting more uncomfortable the more Krow stared at him, so he asked. "Do your parents know about this?"

Talebrech shook his head. "I wanted to know if it was possible first."

Krow wanted to say yes, to test his idea immediately.

But he wanted to check the craftmaster forums first.

"The only profession I can offer to teach is Butchery." He told the boy. "If you are interested, talk to your parents first. Then we can discuss it."

Talebrech smiled. "Thank you, sir!"

"It's Krow." He stopped the boy as the other made to run out of the tower. "How old are you again?"

"Fourteen!" called the boy as he left.

Really? The boy looked younger.

Krow walked out of the tower. It was still midmorning.

An apprenticeship, huh?

This could either be very good or very bad.

A thought for later.

He had other plans for the day.

Krow headed out of the village.

Time to do a few tests on the capabilities of his ghost-scouts.

It had been bugging him the whole time since the bandit fight on the mountain.

An hour later, he was certain.

The real-time tracking of groups or individuals of interest was only if said group or individual was within the sensory range of the ghost-scout.

The moving scout-mark of the riders must be because the spirit-bird had them in its sights as it circled.

Krow dismissed the bird.

In a forest packed with trees, its preference for circling high above was next to useless when hunting within the canopy. Krow could order it to soar within the branches, really, but he wanted to test the spirit-snake more extensively.

What senses did the snake use?

Being so close, it should have updated the locations on that fight faster.

He provoked a tribe of amberscale deer by taking one of their eggs, then bounding cheerfully through the trees with the deer in hot pursuit.

With the snake pacing him, he could only see the leading edge of the pursuers moving.

The sensing range of the snake was that limited?

So much for Rare.

Krow inventoried the egg, drew his gun and started shooting. The deer were low-level monsters. Two or three shots would down a monster.

The herd was fifteen strong. Before long, he faced the buck, whose eyes had darkened and reddened. He'd Enraged it.

Krow leaped backwards, revolver aimed and shooting.

The pointed spikes that were the buck's horns whistled through the space he'd been occupying.

It fell, lifeless, the next second.

[You've gained two (2) Silver Serpens from a monster!]

He holstered his gun, then set the spirit-snake to circling around his location.

After arranging the deer in a position easier for him to work, he changed his gloves, unsheathed his knife, and started skinning the deer.

He'd gotten the Skinner apprentice skill with the Leatherworker subclass. Skinner was also a Butcher skill. He figured it wouldn't hurt to practice it, if he had to teach.

[You've butchered a monster to acquire an Amber Scale!]

A Common item used in low-level scale armor.  There were a ton of scales like the one he currently had on the Bourse.

The price was cheap; they sold in batches. The price of one scale was...meh, less than a serpens.

He also got meat and deerhides from the herd.

Tsk, all that meat was going to start accumulating again.

Should he just sell it as soon as he got it?

Probably.

Krow washed up in a stream. A scout-mark pinged on the map.

Oh?

He shook excess water off his hands, put on his Bonewood Gloves, and navigated toward the mark.

Peering around a tree-trunk, he spied another group of amberscale deer. A larger herd than the last one.

Time for another test.

He walked forward, deliberately stomping on the herd's territory.

"The grass here, so soft and tender," he sighed dramatically. "You won't want to hog it all? It's just neighborly to share."

The buck charged, puffs of steam snorted from its nose.

Krow dodged.

"Rude."

He kept the spirit-snake close, periodically glancing at the Map as he played tag with a large animal with gleaming scales.

The subclass description said these ghosts could take a hit, right?

Krow stood still as the buck, panting, eyes wild, lowered its head.

The spirit-snake whipped between Krow and the pointed horns. Then burst into a mass of fading wisps.

The buck shook its head.

The hit was solid.

Interesting.

The next moment, he dodged again.

"Is that all you can do?"

Krow skipped backward.

[You have achieved 50 Points of Vitality!]

Whoa.

[You have gained 5% HP Recovery due to your increase in Vitality!]

Krow smiled.