Chương 13: Under a Sea of Stars

Ch. 13 - Under a Sea of Stars The term 'Monster' is used so broadly that the definition becomes meaningless. A magical beast, being a magically altered version of a more mundane animal, can be found right next to a being such as a goblin in the Adventurers Bestiary. One is an animal, however changed, and the other is a thinking being capable of speech, using tools, and possessing their own culture and history.

Point this out to a native inhabitant of this world though, and you will be met with confusion at best, anger and disbelief at worst.

Monsters are monsters. It is as simple as that. - from the writings of Steadholder Eckhart It was evening now, although it was still light enough to see relatively easily. The sky above was incredible, awash with a sea of stars, constellations creating a vista such as Wyatt had never seen before. The moon hung low above the horizon, far larger than the one back on Earth, glowing so brightly that it illuminated everything in its pale, washed out light.

It was glorious, but Wyatt didn't give it half the attention it deserved. The blood from the slain goblins had darkened in the changing light, appearing black on the ground and their bodies. After the three Adventurers had finished their grisly task of harvesting the ears, they had unceremoniously dumped the bodies, severed heads and all, in an untidy heap next to the guttering fire. It was a really small pile. On Wyatt's lap, Kit still sat.

He had a hand resting on her back, and was absently running his fingers through her thick, soft fur. Kit's tail was curled around his forearm, and she seemed content to wait until he had gathered his thoughts. She only moved, flowing adroitly out of his lap, when Raek walked over, casually wiping his hands clean on a piece of cloth. Raek looked curiously at Wyatt, but didn't address the sombre mood radiating from him. The leader of the small group cleared his throat.

"So we are about to head out. We thought about staying here since there's already a fire, but no one feels like digging a hole for the bodies." Wyatt heaved himself to his feet. He wasn't exactly sure what he should do or say. He knew this was a different world, with different values, but killing the goblins had felt a bit too close to cold-blooded murder for him to be comfortable.

There was also an issue of practicality though; Wyatt was alone, without a guide, possessing only the barest level of knowledge about this world, about Anwyn. So Wyatt settled himself, focusing on the here and now. He didn't quite feel up to giving Raek a smile just yet, but he at least kept his voice even and controlled.

"Alright. But shouldn't we do something anyway? You're just going to leave them like this?" Wyatt gestured at the pile of corpses. Raek blinked in surprise, then just laughed. He scratched at his head ruefully.

"Is that part of your class? Leave no sign of passage? Losmer can be like that sometimes. No, there's no point — something will scavenge them in the night."

"… I see." Marie walked forward, leaning on her staff. She looked tired, but still upbeat. Triumphant. Her mouth twisted though, when she glanced back at the pile of dead goblins.

"There might be some more of the little monsters around that we missed. They'll take care of the bodies. They eat each other, you know. Savages." That did make Wyatt uneasy.

"You've seen that?" Marie shook her head breezily.

"No, but everyone knows they do. Raek, let's get going. The smell is getting to me." Raek nodded. He put his hands on his hips, grinning at his team and at Wyatt.

"Me too. I think we've earnt our meal for tonight. Let's move!" Walking under the aegis of the moon overhead made for a surprisingly fast pace. Even though colours were muted, it was actually easier to spot obstacles underfoot, everything being cast in stark relief. They'd been travelling down a path for perhaps ten minutes when Raek dropped back to walk beside Wyatt. He looked slightly hesitant, setting himself before speaking.

"Are you alright, Wyatt?" Wyatt glanced at Raek, sidelong. The younger man seemed nothing except concerned, free of anything resembling guilt. Wyatt took a breath, shaking off the last vestiges of his dark mood. They were just kids; they weren't killers. They didn't think they had done anything wrong, they had just been exterminating pests as they understood it. Hadn't Wyatt done the same when he'd been younger? Killing any critter that had tried to pilfer from his Grandparent's meagre fields?

Raek and his friends had been kind to Wyatt. Helped him when they hadn't needed to. Fed him. He shouldn't judge others by the values of his own world. Wyatt gave Raek a crooked smile.

"I've … only ever hunted animals before. I've never killed like that." Raek's brow wrinkled.

"But they were animals. Monsters." Wyatt remembered the panic and terror in the goblin's eyes, but pushed the memory down.

"Yeah, I know. Don't worry, I'll be fine." Raek nodded decisively. The young [Swordsman] grinned.

"I know you will. I saw your strike, that was a fine thrust! The first time I had a monster charging at me like that, I thought I was going to crap myself!" Marie groaned from in front. Wyatt could hear the eye-rolling in her voice.

"Oh, Raek — please!" Raek grinned, unrepentant, at Wyatt.

"Sorry, sorry. But, Wyatt, you must have run into monsters before this." Wyatt hesitated, thinking. It was becoming a little exhausting, keeping track of what he could or could not say. He decided to mix in a little truth.

"Well, like I said before, most of my skills are geared towards avoiding trouble. Not fighting. But …" Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Raek nodded eagerly, and Marie and Losmer dropped back so they could hear better.

"Come on, tell us!"

"Alright, alright. It was a few days ago, I guess. We ran into a deer. A stag. I killed it." Raek's smile slipped a little, and he shook his head.

"No, not an animal. I mean monsters. Magical beasts!" Wyatt shrugged.

"Well, I think it was a monster. It was electric — electricity on its antlers and over its pelt." The three Adventurers looked at each other, confused. Marie tilted her head."'Electricity'? What's that?" Wyatt caught himself. Oh yeah, maybe they don't know about electricity, even if we are speaking the same language.

"Wait, sorry. Lightning. I meant lightning. It could generate and defend itself with it, and —" Losmer's eyes had bulged. He held up a hand, shaking his head.

"Wait a second — a lightning stag. You don't mean a Galvadeer?"

"… yeah?" Losmer shook his head, disbelieving.

"It can't be — silver pelt? Yellow belly, shoulders come up to about here?" The [Archer] held a hand up to about head height, approximating the size of the beast. Wyatt nodded.

"Maybe a bit bigger than that, but yeah. It was silver."

"And it was just one? Alone? They don't usually move alone." Wyatt was wondering if he'd made a mistake in mentioning it, but he couldn't back out now.

"Well it was marking its territory I think. Like a bear? It was gouging trees with its antlers, and —" Losmer interrupted again.

"It was a buck? A dominant male? And you killed it? A full grown Galvadeer?" Galvadeer sounds a bit better than 'electric deer' I have to admit.

"Yeah, I did? I mean, I was with some … companions. But I was the one who killed it." The Adventurers had come to a dead stop, clustered around Wyatt. They looked excited, eager to hear more. Apparently these Galvadeer were more of a big deal than Wyatt had realised. Marie's eyes were wide, impressed, as she looked up at Wyatt.

"How did you do it? Kill it?"

"Uh, well I used my spear. We fought it for a while and it injured a few of my group. Then I waited until it reared up, then I got under it. Used its own weight, you know." This rather lacklustre account seemed to be more than enough to convince the three Adventurers. It was perhaps Wyatt's understated way of telling the tale without embellishment that sold it as true. After a moment of shocked silence, Raek clapped Wyatt on the shoulder, roaring in delight.

"And here I thought we had to look after you! I wouldn't take on a Galvadeer if I had ten Adventurers with me!" Marie clutched her staff to her chest, her eyes shining.

"Wyatt, that's really amazing. To take on a monster like that!" Losmer just shook his head, looking almost rueful.

"I've seen them on hunts, you know. Galvadeer. I was never brave enough to actually hunt one though! Unless you drop it with a kill shot right at the start, those things will charge right at you. They are renowned as being incredibly vindictive. Worse than a wild boar." Wyatt couldn't help but give a wry smile at that.

"Yeah, I noticed. Every wound it took just seemed to piss it off more. Retreating would have been the smarter thing to do, but it wouldn't let us." Raek suddenly snapped his fingers in realisation.

"Ah, of course! That's how you lost your weapon and had to make do with a knife and a stick. You broke your spear when you killed the Galvadeer!"

"Uh, no. I used my knife attached to a staff. I didn't have —" The Adventurers had fallen silent at hearing that. As one, they shook their heads. Disbelieving. Raek's previous excitement was muted, and he looked half disturbed, half impressed.

"You might just be crazy, Wyatt. That isn't a weapon, it's what a child would use because they don't have anything better!" Wyatt shrugged uncomfortably.

"Yeah, well — I had what I had, okay?" Losmer was looking at Wyatt as if he was trying to picture him attacking such a dangerous beast without a proper weapon.

"What did you do with the kill? At least that would have set you up. Is it being processed right now? I know Alchemists go crazy for parts from a monster like that." Wyatt paused, taking that in. Alchemists? There are alchemists in this world as well?

"No. I … ate it?" Jaws dropped. Keeping his gaze on Wyatt, Raek whispered to Losmer.

"How much would a monster like that get you if you sold it?"

"A full grown buck Galvadeer? If it was in good condition and you sold it directly to an alchemist without going through the guild … maybe five gold pieces." Raek coughed, almost choking as he spluttered.

"Five gold! A whole five gold!" Wyatt shifted awkwardly on the spot.

"That's a lot?" At the weird looks he suddenly got, Wyatt realised he'd just displayed his ignorance. Actually, hadn't Raek said that the goblin ears would get them four silver per pair? And it would cover their lodgings for weeks? Clearly a little went a long way in this world. Wyatt hurriedly tried to cover his tracks.

"I mean, that is a lot. Damn. Well, it wasn't like I was in a position to cart it anywhere." The Adventurers were silent as they commiserated, perhaps imagining being able to get five gold from a single kill. After a few seconds, Losmer asked, his voice hushed.

"… what did it taste like?" Wyatt gave the [Archer] a lopsided smile. If a beast like the Galvadeer was so valuable, it made sense that no one would do something so stupid as to eat it.

"Amazing. But then again, I was really hungry at the time so I might be biased. I swear Kit ate more than her body weight though if that tells you anything." Marie laughed at hearing that, giving the silver fox an affectionate look as she sat at Wyatt's heels.

"I bet she did. A highly magical monster like that … it would be like ambrosia to her." Raek sighed in amusement, shaking his head.

"Okay, team; we should keep moving. If we see an impossibly dangerous beast charging at us, make sure you're behind Wyatt." Marie and Losmer laughed, jokingly agreeing with Raek, and then started moving again, walking under the moonlit sky. After a few minutes, Marie dropped back to walk next to Wyatt.

"Wyatt, you said you were with others — what happened to your companions?" Losmer and Raek stiffened slightly, having missed that implication. Wyatt took a deep breath.

"I … later on, we were travelling. A whole herd of the Galvadeer charged at us. There wasn't any time, and we got separated. I don't know what happened to them." Marie put a hand on his forearm, her face softening in sympathy. Losmer and Raek exchanged glances, a grim understanding that didn't need to be articulated.

"A whole herd … you were so lucky to escape." Wyatt's throat tightened up a little as he remembered. The fatalism, the assumption of the Adventurers, was hard to take. Wyatt still hoped that the others had made it, like he had. But even if they'd survived, were they still trapped in that strange forest?

"Y—yeah. I was. But that's how I ended up here, without much to my name. And then I met you all." They were all silent for a few moments more, and then Raek sighed.

"Still, you must have levelled from an encounter like that. That's something at least." Wyatt eyed him.

"I did. Twice actually." The [Swordsman] looked and sounded envious.

"Twice! I haven't levelled twice in one go in years." Marie's voice was arch, but her hand was still gentle as she held onto Wyatt's arm.

"That's because you don't go around challenging yourself. You take on a monster like a Galvadeer, and you might do it too." Raek laughed.

"No fear of that — I value my skin too much. Maybe when I'm ten levels higher!" Wyatt smiled, but he felt a little awkward at Marie's continued touch. She kept glancing at him admiringly, and her hand had shifted until she was holding onto his bicep. She was very attractive, but his emotions were still in somewhat of a tangle. He put his hand over hers for a moment, squeezing it and giving her a smile, before gently disengaging so he could walk up next to Raek. He looked at the leader of the group questioningly.

"So where exactly are we headed?" Raek scratched at the back of his head, then yawned.

"I was thinking the ruins we were headed to originally. It's a well-known spot, and can be defended if we need to. Camping there should be safe."

"And there's no monsters there?" Raek looked confident.

"Maybe, but probably not. We'll deal with it if we need to." Wyatt decided he should offer his skill, pull his weight.

"I have a skill I can use. It leads to the nearest safe place to rest. I've never had trouble find me when I use it." Raek brightened up instantly.

"That sounds better than camping at a decaying ruin. What do you say, Marie, Losmer — want to give Wyatt's skill a try?" Marie nodded eagerly, and Losmer agreed as well, even if he was more reserved about it. So Wyatt focused, using his skill.

"[A Safe Place to Rest]." As Wyatt consulted his skill, he heard the other's talking. Losmer whistled softly, impressed.

"I want that skill. Utility classes are so useful!"

"It's so long as well — mine are all two or three words, not a full sentence!"

"I know, Marie. I wonder if it's too late to pick up another class like [Survivalist]?"

"Don't — you'll be old and retired before you manage to merge three classes." Wyatt shifted uncomfortably at the attention. Was his skill really that noteworthy?

"Okay … there's a place not too far. It's back the way we came though, and off to the side. Maybe … twenty minutes?" Raek looked at his teammates of their reactions, and then shrugged.

"Sounds good to me. We don't have a particular destination in mind, and it's closer than going to the ruins. Lead the way!" In short order Wyatt led the three Adventurers to a sheltered spot in the lee of two hills. There was a flat patch of grassed earth next to a bend in a nearby stream, with a copse of trees a short distance away on the opposite bank.

The air was still as the hills blocked any breeze, and as they watched, a fish broke the surface of the water, feasting on some skittering insects that darted amongst reeds. Raek looked at the spot with satisfaction.

"Perfect. Team, let's set up camp. Time to relax and enjoy ourselves!"