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

naturally to you and I shall reward you with the secret to conjuring green flame. To hiding from that which waits in the darkness.” It paused for a moment, as if thinking, and then added a small disclaimer. “And should you refuse, I shall send the youngest in the village out to march in the darkness without flame. They are of little nutritional value in their larval state, but you all seem to value them greatly.”

Trig’s teeth clenched, but he held back. I must admit, I was impressed to see him refuse to just strike out without thinking. His boyish energy was tempered with the all too real fact that children could die if he made a poor decision. Our best bet here was to just play along until we were away from this thing, so we could figure out a way to break the creature’s influence. Killing that other monster wasn’t a bad idea either. In fact, killing and harvesting it would give us an insight into how the beast worked, including weaknesses…

“We’ll do it then,” I said. “In exchange for the green fire.”

The Eldest looked at me for a moment, its dull eyes blankly staring into mine. “You hide your thoughts,” it said. “I do not like that. A mere minute ago, I could hear your mind. Now it is silent.”

Evidence that my charm was working. Good. Maybe I could take advantage of this creature’s lack of understanding of our race. “I have stopped thinking entirely,” I replied. “Half of my mind sleeps while the other half is awake. It is how I go without sleeping while on the road.”

“He is thinking many things,” the Eldest said, shuffling a little more towards me. The great bulbous beast loomed over me.

“Then search his mind to see if I am lying,” I replied. Trig would pick up on my game no doubt. But could he fool a mind-reading creature? Hopefully so.

The creature was quiet for a moment, still, as it scanned Trig’s mind. “He thinks only of women without clothing,” it grunted. “I see no deception.”

Really Trig? That’s how you crowded out a mind reader? Then again, if it worked, it worked. He had been part of our mind control resistance training. They had used some kind of anchoring technique to block out unwanted thoughts. Maybe it was his teacher’s fault.

Trig’s deception worked and the beast said no more of my blank mind. Instead, it merely focused on our goal. “I shall grant one of my ashamed armorbearers to escort you. He is your thrall until you have slain my foe, or until you have died at its hands. He is gifted with sight that you could never possess, for you were not born in these woods.”

“Why are they called ashamed?” Trig asked.

The wicked creature made a wholly unnatural noise, the bristling, angry sound emanating from inside of its body as opposed to coming from its mouth. “They ignored my demands. And ignored the needs of their people, trying to slay me instead of allowing me to protect them. So they are locked in armor and forced to fight on my behalf. They are not worthy of my blessings. Only my scorn.”

We said little more to this creature. It told us that Eckshaw was to be our guide and our thrall. He would obey any order, for his mind was more or less in full control of the creature. We agreed to its terms and left the Eldest’s hut, careful not to speak. Trig shot me a look that explained everything, more or less. He would follow my lead without asking why. He wouldn’t speak about my plan, knowing full well that his mind was open to probing from the Eldest. How far its influence went, we simply did not know.

The village was somewhat different. The pretense of people going about their daily lives was gone now. Everyone more or less sat or stood completely still, just staring blankly ahead. The homes were full of people who were frozen in repose, unable or perhaps uninterested in moving. This long period of stillness lasted for nearly ten minutes. And then, suddenly, everyone returned to their business, cooking, cleaning, talking and acting as if nothing were wrong. As if they hadn’t been staring blankly ahead for a solid chunk of time.

“This is messed up,” Trig muttered as we wandered to the edge of the village. The green flickering lights washed across his face, contorting his expression, giving him a more sinister look. I wondered if perhaps he had fallen under the Eldest’s influence. How would I tell?

“I know,” I said.

“Completely, utterly messed up.”

“In my experience, it’s best not to think about it,” Eckshaw said with a heavy sigh. He spoke like a regular person. But…was this just mimicry? A mere puppet show to lure us into believing he was like us? I was not prepared for this kind of twisted madness. Fighting monsters was one thing, but facing those whose minds had been ensnared? How did you fight an enemy you couldn’t kill?

“Trig,” I said, turning to face the infinite darkness before me. “Stay here until I come back.”

He said nothing. No doubt he had a thousand questions, but he couldn’t ask any of them. I had an idea of what I could do to protect his mind, or at the very least, insulate it, but I’d have to go alone into the darkness.

“I wouldn’t separate,” Eckshaw warned. “Betraying her is a poor idea. Going into the dark without the green fire, even worse. Do as she says and you will be in a better position.”

“Eckshaw,” I said, looking at him. “Have you ever seen hunters return from their tasks? Once they meet your master?”

The shamed armorbearer shifted. His lips, the only visible part about his face, turned downwards into a hard frown. “That I cannot say.”

“Because they die, either by their target or most likely by her hand,” I said, turning away from them both and lighting my torch with a