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

Enough so to feed off of a human village in a sustainable way? Hard to believe.”

I nodded at that, continuing to work away on the charm. “Agreed. I still think there’s some kind of tomfoolery going on. But I have no idea what it could be. Either way, you can see that I need to figure out some way to stop that thing from reading our minds.”

“I may have a charm that could help,” Brimley said. “But you’d need to pay for it, and it won’t come cheap.”

I growled at that. “Really? The lives of innocent humans are at stake and you want to make some money?”

“It’s part of the rules!” he said, throwing his hands up helplessly. “I can only accept coins in exchange for charms.”

“Why not just break them?”

“Because then those hunters will break me, I’m sure,” Brimley replied. “Look, I’m sympathetic to your cause as can be. But I’m not going to risk my knees or worse to help a bunch of strangers out.”

“Well how about helping me out?” I asked. “I am no stranger. Neither is Trig.”

Brimley sighed at that. “I’m afraid I just can’t do it. I’m a man of my word and I swore never to give hunter gear away.” He paused. “Though, I suppose there’s no harm in telling you what charm it is.”

“What good would…” I trailed off as he smirked a little and motioned for me to follow him. Oh. He was inviting me to rob him. How curious of a man, to refuse actively aiding me, but being perfectly fine with me pilfering his wares. But whatever. I had far more important things than his eccentricities to worry about.

Chapter 21

The Stabwagon rolled along, the wheels a little squeakier than I remembered. I sat atop the vehicle, staring down at the two charms in my hands. The first was my Griffin bracelet, a small yellow band made of beak. The second was a curious silver ring with a small black gem in the center. There was an engraving on the inside of the band. It read Summer’s End. What those words meant, I had no idea. But this was the charm that the old man had conspicuously pointed at during our conversation.

After he retired for the evening, I was quick to take the charm and the ingredients that had finished distilling from the Griffin, though not all was complete. It didn’t matter, my time was too limited, so I’d have to take a half haul of only 150 Firnin and Estoan.

With a shrug, I slipped on the first charm to see what interesting abilities the noble Griffin had.

Aspect of the Griffin:

Swift (0/2): Gain +2 Dexterity.

Windswept Charge (0/5): When running, you may leap in the air, generating strong gusts of winds that follow after you, knocking foes over. The forces are equivalent to 4 points of strength.

Updraft (0/3): You gain the ability to glide. The distance you can glide is based on the height of your descent x 5. For example, a 10 foot drop allows you to glide 50 feet.

Gliding seemed really useful, especially when combined with my ability to jump exceptionally high distances. This was almost a pseudo-flight ability in a way, though I guess I’d have to see how fast the descent was to determine if it was any good.

With that charm out of the way, it was time to take a look at the ring charm that Brimley had so graciously ‘provided.’

Aspect of the Tyndel

Ironwill (0/2): You are immune to all mind-affecting abilities, regardless of strength.

Telekinetic (0/3): You may expend 10% of your health to gain 2 points of telekinetic strength. This may be done multiple times. Your telekinetic range is 50 feet and this effect lasts until you wish it to end.

Absent Presence (0/5): You may become ‘invisible’ to an enemy mind. It cannot perceive you, regardless of your actions. This effect lasts until you take an action that is too overt for the enemy to ignore, such as attacking, making loud noises or speaking.

Whatever the Tyndel was, it seemed to have a powerful set of psychic abilities. Telekinetic and Iron Will were absolutely perfect for what I needed. I could give Trig my Fylk charm to insulate himself in the meantime, holding onto this charm in case I needed that extra telekinesis.

Hope rose up through me at the realization that things were actually going quite well. With this new charm and the Stabwagon, we had a fairly big chance of saving that village and defeating both of the Eldestbeasts, whatever they were. The mystery of the Shadewood, while still present, was a bit less foreboding, now that I had figured out a way to escape. Hell, the glide ability all but guaranteed I’d have no trouble getting out of that accursed place again.

All that remained was for me to continue my preparations in facing these twin monsters, as well as whatever other horrors were waiting for me in the darkness. Equipped with 11,000 Bloodpoints, I scoured my abilities, looking for opportunities to improve our chances in that accursed forest.

Archer Tier One Completed

Archer Tier Two Completed

Archer Tier Three Completed

Archer Tier Four:

- Armor Crack: If your arrows cannot pierce armor, they deal double damage to the armor itself. This ability works in combination with Rapid Shot or Multishot.

- Arrow Homeostasis: All arrows in your quiver will transform to match the strongest arrow that you have.

Tracker Tier One Completed

Tracker Tier Two:

- Know Your Enemy: Clues and trails now have a chance of revealing an enemy weakness.

- Darkvision: When on a trail, gain the ability to see in the dark until the monster is located.

Stealth Tier One:

- Camouflage I: Gain the ability to craft camouflage that provides stealth bonuses when worn.

- Stealth Instincts: Effective hiding spots glow.

Navigator Tier One:

- Cartography: Unlocks the Mapmaking ability.

Navigator Tier Two:

- Secret Passage: Hidden doors, passages and basements will glow, revealing themselves.

Navigator Tier Three Completed

Hunter Tier One:

- Animal Tracker: Your tracking abilities