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

a burst of steam struck him right in the face, forcing him to shove it down. It was hot enough to where I could feel it all the way over here. But the moment the lid was put back on the cauldron, the steam was suppressed. An interesting effect. Heat plus water made for powerful steam. But could it be trapped? Contained for a time and then released again? If only we had taken one of the eggheads with us.

Maybe we didn’t need to contain the steam itself. Trig had bombs, right? No doubt a fire bomb generated a tremendous amount of temperature, enough to turn water into steam. So really, I didn’t need to transport the steam, just create some kind of rigging that could drop a bomb into water. Only problem was that our current water supply was only for two people, people who were both expected to make it last the entire journey. If this plan were to work, I’d need to secure a large amount of water first.

I glanced at our guide/spy. Eckshaw was still standing motionless by the cart, his face turned outwards towards the darkness. Perhaps he could lead us to a source before taking us back to the village. Call it a gut feeling, but I just couldn’t help thinking that the next visit to the village would be our last. The Eldest would either attempt to kill us, forcing us to fight, or perhaps use the innocent as hostages for even more favors, forcing our hands anyway. If that were the case, we couldn’t just walk in there unprepared.

“Water,” I said, looking at Eckshaw. “Our stores are low and that fight caused me a great deal of injuries that must be cleaned. Do you know where a source of running water is?”

Eckshaw frowned for a moment, his face twitching. I could see him move his head left to right as if he were having an argument. Finally, he spoke. “There is a river here. But it is dangerous to venture towards. We have a well in the village.”

“I need running water, and a great deal of it,” I said. “Well water has a great deal of bacteria in it, safe to consume, but not safe for cleaning wounds. Water moving through a river, on the other hand, is much more pure.” This was an utter lie, of course, but I said it with enough boldness and surety that Eckshaw couldn’t refute it. And if there really was a conscious mind within the man, trying to fight back, he would certainly confirm my story.

“Of course. Your wounds must be cleansed,” Eckshaw said after a moment of hesitation. “Illness will make you too unhealthy.” Too unhealthy for what? Consumption? More work? Breeding? I shivered at that last thought. Whatever insane horrors the Eldest had inflicted upon this village had to end—today if possible. I just hoped that we could kill the thing in one fell swoop. Otherwise, there would be hell to pay, not for me and Trig, but for all those poor people in the village. This was a tight rope to walk on, even for an acrobat like myself.

Chapter 27

Trig was once again the recipient of the Bloodpoints from the last battle. It was a shame, for I could see how excited he was once he did the harvesting ritual. Undoubtedly a large amount had just transferred to him, leaving me out in the cold. I tried not to be envious here, knowing ultimately that the more power he gained, the more he could aid me in this mission, but he hadn’t been the one completely covered in paralytic monster blood.

So, I merely grumbled to myself while examining the charm I had recently created. The Orphine bracelet didn’t really dry out, uh, ever. No matter how I tried to heat it, sticking it by my torch or putting it up against the cauldron while it cooked, I couldn’t get the thing to dry. It would remain a slimy testament to the kind of crap I had to deal with on a near daily basis.

Fortunately, the benefits of the Orphine bracelet actually outweighed the sheer level of disgust I felt when looking at it (though only by a little bit!)

Aspect of the Orphine:

Shapechanger (0/3): You may change your shape in size, color and composition for as long as you can focus. However, you cannot change your mass, nor can you change your anatomy.

Blank Mind (0/1): You are immune to all mind affecting abilities.

Toxic Blood (0/2): Your blood becomes highly toxic. Contact with your blood causes mild paralysis, hallucinations and nausea. This effect lasts as long as your charm is active.

These abilities gave me an interesting glance into the abilities of the Orphine. Aside from the Blank Mind, which was undoubtedly stronger than the Fylk charm, there was nothing to suggest the Orphine had psychic abilities by default. Yet, two separate Orphines had displayed the ability to use mental attacks on us. It had to be the crystal within the beast that gave it those abilities.

I had seen other creatures gain abilities from Masara gems. Ligorans with red Masara gems gained lightning affinities. And that one L’Gara had regeneration due to the gem. In fact, the gem was so powerful it let the thing exist outside of the water. If the Orphine we had killed gained its psychic abilities from that large gem…perhaps the Eldest had the exact same set up.

By default, Orphines were immune to psychic attacks, perhaps allowing them to climb atop the shiny gem and devour it, gaining power in the process. Or in the case of the Eldest, gaining power and intelligence? This was an interesting theory. And it made sense. The gem seemed to have a hypnotic effect on Trig. Perhaps the Vessel was able to prevent its body from being eaten by warding monsters away with psychic energy. Until the Orphines came along, that is.

“Finally!” Trig said, pointing to the water,