The Slausqa came upon them only a mile or so from Dangoles’ gates. In the past, the creature had always alerted her to its approach through the heavy thud of its footsteps. This time it burst through a tall snowbank, catching them by surprise. The powder it had thrown up into the air dissipated quickly, and Erin got her first proper look at the thing.

The monster was enormous. At 4 meters in height, it towered over them on two legs. Its body was covered in what looked like a pale gray sheep's wool. Its head sat like a round boulder atop broad shoulders. Long, thick arms wielding claw-tipped fingers lashed out at the monster hunters, and Kiran shouted orders, trying to get the few men he’d brought into order. One of them was already down, thrown by a raking claw as the snow had cleared. Tossed aside like a toy.

Erin dropped her shield to the ground as the remaining Monster Hunters moved to surround the Sluasqa. She shifted her spear into her left hand and raised her right. She felt the spell taking shape in her hand, and in a moment, it was done. Flames crackled to life, and then the fireball struck the creature's left side, cascading across its body as the spell broke apart. The smell of burning hair assaulted her as the Slausqa screamed in pain.

Kiran and his men stabbed with their spears, aiming for its stomach and back, blood already trickling from several wounds. They moved with practiced efficiency as it turned. The ones in front retreating out of range of its claws, while the ones behind closed in to attack. Almost subconsciously, Erin slipped the spear into her inventory as she fireballed it. Using her left arm to steady her right. This time, the attack took it in the chest, and it shrieked in rage as its matted wool-like fur glowed with embers around the blistered and burnt area.

Erin’s heart pounded in her chest, terror muted by adrenaline, but her fear was turning slowly to awe as Kiran’s group held their own against the giant. Like wolves circling an elk to bring it down, they kept it moving, striking when it was vulnerable. Their strategy was sound and with a larger group, they would've brought down the beast in short order, but there were just too few of them to contain it. Enraged by the burns, and the spears prodding at its back every time it turned, the Slausqa roared its fury and lunged forward, charging directly for Erin, who tried to dive out of the way.

It caught her with the side of its shin as it rushed forward, and she went tumbling. Air blasted from her lungs by the shock of impact as the world turned to a riot of colors. She slid through the snow, leaving a trail as she went, coming to rest when snow had piled up enough to serve as a brake. Erin tried to struggle to her feet, but the world tilted dramatically, and her left half felt like shattered glass. She rolled onto her back.

[Just some fractures, but try not to get kicked again.]

“I’ll put a note on the fridge,” Erin growled through gritted teeth as she forced herself into a sitting position, looking around. Kiran was still calling orders to the group, but two more men were down, which left them with only four.

Assuming you get off your ass.

The situation had become desperate. Erin pushed herself onto her feet as the three remaining Monster Hunters tried to encircle the massive beast. It’s long arms barely missed them as they ducked and weaved around it. The others lay unmoving, blood slowly seeping into the snow.

The fireball took the Slausqa in the back of the head, the third application of the debuff turning the area into a landscape of angry red skin and blisters. Erin’s wings sprouted from her back as it turned toward her. She leveled a fourth fireball as it rushed her and fired as she snapped her wings forward. Feet still dug in on the ground, she slid backward several feet as a cloud of powdery snow erupted before her, blinding the monster's charge. She leaped to the side, this time using her wings as an assist to evade. It wasn’t graceful, and she landed heavily, stumbling and unable to suppress a cry of pain as the impact jolted through her.

She felt the wind of the great beast's passage as it moved past her, trees snapping like gunshots as it crashed into the forest beyond. Limping, she moved to stand in the thing's path. Despite the chill air, sweat beaded on her brow as her breathing grew heavier.

Why does this always have to feel like a marathon I didn’t train for?

[Focus.]

The Slausqa had turned around, its round, black eyes focused on her. The creature was burnt in several places, and blood trickled from a dozen spear wounds. Smoke-like breath billowed through lips, peeled back into a snarl. Erin fanned out her wings, gritting her teeth as holding the magic became more difficult. Like she was dangling from one arm and trying desperately to hold on.

“Hey you,” she yelled as loud as she could manage, pulling the spear from her inventory into her hand. “Are you done getting your shit together over there? Because I’m starting to get bored.” Whether the creature understood her words, it seemed perfectly capable of reading the mockery in her tone. Its reply was a deafening bellow of rage so deep and fierce Erin nearly took a step back. Her ears ached under the verbal assault even with several meters between them, and Erin took a tight grip on the spear’s wooden haft as the monster charged.

As the multi-ton monster bore down on her, Erin was brought back to the moment she died. Staring into the grill of a semi-truck just before it smashed into her car. By her count, she’d been dead for eight days. Her arm snapped back over her shoulder, spear gripped somewhere in the middle, resting in the crook of her thumb as she took aim. Erin had never thrown a spear, but she trusted the greater dexterity of her Tier 2 body, and her arm snapped forward.

Unsurprisingly, she missed. The spear flew much too low to strike the creature in the face like she’d been aiming for. The spear dipped down as the creature closed and stuck in its leg. To Erin's surprise, the monster stumbled and then fell. Its immense bulk continued to slide forward through them and Erin hopped to the side, snapping her wings once, allowing her to glide a short distance. As it came close, it snatched at her with one clawed hand. Just out of reach, she leveled a fireball, letting her wings fade away as flames twisted like ribbons in the air. The spell landed on its face as it snarled at her. It thrashed about madly, one leg flopping uselessly, its hands slamming into its own head, clumsily trying to staunch the flames. Erin looked around and spotted Kiran and his men, dragging their injured away from the battlefield. Thankfully they had taken advantage of the distraction, she returned her attention to the Slausqa, conjuring another fireball, and then another. Launching them one after the other into the creature's face. The cumulative damage mounted until the monsters finally succumbed.

[You have Slain: Adult Slausqa: Would you like to loot?]

Erin set herself gingerly in the snow, teeth gritted and her eyes shut tight as pain radiated through her. She plucked the vial out of her inventory and looked at it.

Can Tier 1s drink from this?

[The effects will be more limited. Their souls can’t convert magic in the quantities you can, but it would help.]

“Kiran,” Erin called out as she looked up, surprised to find he had already nearly reached her.

“Are you alright ma’am?” He asked, kneeling down to her eye level as he leaned on his spear for balance. Sharp spikes of pain ran through her, and the exhaustion of so many spells cast threatened to carry her away, but she forced the pain away, and held onto consciousness.

“I’m fine.” She held out the vial. “Share this between your injured. It’ll help them start to heal.” Kiran took it and nodded.

“I’ve seen one of these before. I’ll bring it back.”

“Thank you.” The young man stood and turned, hurrying back to the men laying side by side in the snow. Erin watched them from where she sat.

[Miss Erin]

Erin jolted in surprise, sending a fresh wave of pain through her side. Had Lisa ever used her name before? She couldn’t remember.

Yes?

[You should loot the Monster.]

Erin glanced at the corpse of the Slausqa, burned and bloody.

Alright, but let’s wait for Kiran.

Erin wasn’t arrogant or selfish enough to believe the kill was hers alone. If it had been just her fighting the beast, she would’ve died, likely without scratching it. As it was, she’d gotten very lucky. Her spear had struck the knee dead on, rendering the leg useless. Not what she’d been going for, but she’d take it.

Kiran returned, proffering the now empty vial, and Erin took it with a nod before placing it back inside her inventory.

“I’m going to loot it.” She told him, tilting her head toward the dead Slausqa. “I don’t know what we’ll get, but the money is yours to divide with your men. The rest we can figure out.” Kiran glanced over his shoulder, his eyes narrowing.

“Well I’m sure the boys will be glad to get paid out of this.”

Now

Adult Slausqa

1 of 1

Default:

12 Silver Maefars, 48 copper Maefars, 1x Spell Rune

Artifact:

Select this option to discover loot.

Erin turned her head away, shielding her eyes with her hand as the body turned to bright white light. In a moment, it was gone. In the depression of snow where the Slausqa had fallen, there was a bag of coins, a palm sized glass sphere inside of which spell runes twisted this way and that, and something small and cylindrical, with a metallic gleam. Erin offered her hand, and Kiran pulled her back to her feet. Erin gritted her teeth to prevent herself from gasping. The sharp spikes in her side were turning to throbbing aches, and she wasn’t sure which felt worse. Together they moved toward the pile of loot, and Erin reached down, grabbing the sack of coins and handing it to Kiran, who tucked it into his belt.

Erin picked up the artifact and Lisa spoke.

[Unranked Quality: Extendable Spear: A lightweight and durable weapon that collapses and extends at the command of the wielder.]

What command?

Erin directed the question as she held the weapon lengthwise in front of her.

[Intent is the key. Any verbal or mental command that describes what you want the weapon to do will work.]

Extend

From the central cylinder, the weapon snapped into existence on either side. Slightly longer than the spears the Monster Hunters carried, and much lighter.

Collapse

Just as quickly, the two halves of the spear vanished, leaving her holding a short handle made of metal.

Well, that’s neat. Will it work for Kiran?

[He will be able to wield it. Artifacts like this one draw upon the wielder's soul in order to function, using it to convert the magic they need. Higher quality artifacts would strain their souls, possibly even killing them, but this is simple enough to be safe.]

Erin turned and offered the weapon to Kiran, who looked her in the face before taking it in his hands. He turned the cylinder over, scrutinizing it.

“Just give it a command. Tell it to open. Just don’t point it at yourself when you do.”

“Open.” Once more, the metal spear snapped into existence on either end of the cylinder, and Kiran tested the weight. “Close” The length of metal snapped back into the handle and Kiran tucked it into a pouch at his waist. “This is appreciated, but let's get the men back before it gets dark.”

Erin glanced over at the injured, surprised to see them awake and conversing with the others.

“Are they okay to travel?”

“Thanks to your potion, I think.” Kiran said, looking back over his shoulder. “Don’t forget that.” He said, pointing at the glass sphere, all that remained of the Slausqa’s loot.

Erin picked it up.

[Slausqa Spell Rune: Would you like to absorb it?]