Monster Hunting 401: A LitRPG Fantasy Adventure by Andrew Karevik (book suggestions .TXT) 📗

what did I do? I staggered up to you and barely was able to cut the tongue before passing out. I thought I was so ready for this. But…now I’m not so sure.”

“Well, you picked a hell of a time to come to your senses, Trig. Because we’re stuck here until we can figure out where the Vessel is. Or at least find some way to get rid of this darkness.”

The young man was silent. He merely continued to cook the food, eyes filled with shame. What was I to tell him? Sometimes you get your ass handed to you in the field, it happens to everyone. But that kind of talk wouldn’t really be heard, would it? He was so embarrassed at his failings that anything I could say would just seem like it was meant to patronize him. Should I antagonize him, perhaps? Try and get him angry? Nah, that didn’t seem like either of us. He was a good kid and I wasn’t really the kind of person who insults others to get them moving.

“Tell you what,” I said, placing the whistle against my mouth and gently blowing. A smooth, gentle tune played. At once, Trig perked his head up and looked around, as if he were suddenly able to see everything nearby. “You can sulk tonight. Feel bad for yourself and feel ashamed as much as you like. But tomorrow, when we get up, you move on. Deal?”

Trig chuckled a little. “Not much of a motivating speech,” he replied, cracking a smile.

“Motivation is for big battles and for the tough times,” I said. “If that fight was the worst thing that happened to us in this adventure, I would count ourselves really lucky. So, mope around all you like. I’ll take first watch.”

Those words, or really the permission to just feel bad, seemed to lift Trig’s spirits. He sulked a little, sure, but he didn’t seem as grim about things. He finished making our dinner and played with Little Hig for a bit before returning to bed for a few hours. Hopefully in the morning, he’d be back to his old self.

While Trig rested, I stood by, watching the rest of the woods. Fighting with a torch had been quite difficult, so we jury-rigged a little set up that could accommodate my fighting style. Two long wooden poles had been attached to my backpack, with torches tied to them. Using my elemental burst power, I could light the torches with magic, so I wouldn’t need to turn them on individually. This would give me the cover of light, all the while ensuring I could move around freely without worrying about juggling my bow and my light source.

The world around us was quiet and still. Little Hig wandered over to me and climbed up my leg, gently hanging off of my belt, staring out into the darkness without making a sound. He seemed relaxed, unworried. Somehow, this creature could see in this strange fog, turning him into an excellent lookout. The fact that he was dead silent at all times was a bonus, although it was still quite unnerving!

While we kept watch, I occupied myself by reading the newest charm description, seeing if it provided any benefits worth caring about. Trig had been the one to get the Bloodpoints, as it was clear he would need to rapidly catch up with me in terms of power level. If one fight was able to take him out so quickly, he’d need all the help he could get.

Aspect of the Poaruck:

Dymantic (0/3): Once per day, you may project an illusion that you are significantly larger than you actually are. Attacks to the illusion will appear to be ineffective, but will still appear like they hit. This illusion lasts for as long as you can focus.

Grappler (0/2): You gain +4 Strength when attempting to grapple a target.

Dense (0/2): Your weight increases tenfold without your agility, body shape or size being affected. You gain all the benefits of such weight without any of the drawbacks.

“Aha...” I muttered as I read the description of the charm’s powers. No wonder my attacks were so useless against that damned frog. I was only attacking an illusory ‘shell’, wasting arrows on a head that wasn’t actually there. And the density of the Poaruck must have made it so much stronger. Quite an interesting type of monster. And frankly, these abilities had some exceptional uses. Grappler not so much, but Dense? Imagine the kind of chaos I could cause by suddenly becoming a thousand pounds, all while retaining my agility. Certainly something to keep in my pocket, for sure.

Little Hig tugged on my arm, bringing me out of my thoughts and back into the bleak world of darkness surrounding us. He seemed focused on something in the distance now, head swiveling to the far left of us.

“You see something?” I whispered, aiming my bow at where he was looking. My Tremorsense wasn’t picking anything up. Yet, as I stared into the abyss, there came a deep, red light in the distance. It was soft and faint, barely visible in the shadows but certainly present.

“Trig!” I hissed. “Get up!”

“I’m up, I’m up,” he mumbled, climbing out of bed and staggering towards me. Both daggers were out and at the ready, and he quickly was rousing from his sleep state.

“Do you see that?” I asked, pointing towards the lights.

“I do…” Trig replied, squinting. “First time we’ve seen anything but shadow and trees out here.”

“What do you think? A village? A monster?” I asked. The light could be some kind of trap, maybe the eyes of a monster, glowing to lure in desperate folks who were lost in these woods.

“Only one way to find out,” Trig said. “Shooting at it might not be the best idea, in case it’s people. Remember that boot print we found?” He turned to look at me with curious but concerned eyes. “It’s your call, boss.”

“So now I’m your boss, not your