Big Game Sniper

Eleisa strode purposefully along the cobblestone streets, her wings fluttering absently behind her. She had just returned from another dead-end bounty and just wanted to get some sleep before looking for more work. Hopefully the next job would fit her skills. It wouldn’t, but she could always dream.

Reaching the guildhall, she turned in the signed job completion form at the desk and collected her meager reward before heading upstairs to her room. The hunter’s guild wasn’t the cheapest place to stay, or the most comfortable. But it was welcoming to all, unlike most establishments in this podunk town. And not many people out here looked upon her kind fondly.

Upon reaching her room, she tossed her bag into the corner, locked the door, and flopped down onto her bed.

What am I going to do?

Because of what she was, it was impossible to find a group to join, and she was so specialized that most of the jobs of her rank that paid enough to be worth it were lethally dangerous for her.

She didn’t even know why she had come out here. It had been weeks since she had been with her Eclipse, and her loneliness only grew by the day. Wherever she went, she was met with stares, whispers behind her back, and the occasional derogatory comment to her face.

If only she hadn’t listened to her Queen… But that wasn’t a thought worth pursuing. She chastised herself for even letting it cross her mind.

She sighed, resting her elbow over her eyes. Maybe things would look better in the morning, after she had some sleep.

The next morning, Eleisa headed downstairs, inwardly cringing at the noise of laughter and conversation that filled the hall, and spent a good while meticulously combing through the available jobs on the board. When she finally decided on one, the whole common room went silent. Turning around to see what the fuss was about, Eleisa stared blankly at the creature that had just entered.

What in Thrinia’s Thorax is that?

Unfortunately, Jared had to put his Skill testing on hold, as he was still in the middle of nowhere and wanted to find somewhere safe to bed down. Resting Mimi on his shoulder, he headed out of the cave, only to notice something he hadn’t before. Leading away from the cave, barely visible in the rosy light of late afternoon, was a small dirt path.

Skill Big Game Tracking upgraded from (Unskilled I) to (Unskilled II)

“Well, I don’t have any better leads. Here’s hoping we find something.”

He donned his ghillie suit once again, then set off. Figuring it wasn’t a good idea to be carrying several pounds of gold coins around, he gave most of it to Mimi to hold onto, keeping only ten in the pouch, which he tied to his belt.

He made good progress, his large stride eating up the miles. Every once in a while, he would get a notification.

Skill Sniper’s Stalking has been upgraded from (Skilled V) to (Skilled VI)

…

Skill Sniper’s Stalking has been upgraded from (Skilled VI) to (Skilled VII)

…

Skill Sniper’s Stalking has been upgraded from (Skilled VII) to (Skilled VIII)

Finally, as the sun finished sinking below the horizon, he caught sight of something through the trees: a road. Not a tiny, barely-there path, but an actual, cobblestone road. Picking up his pace a little, he moved closer and started parallelling its course until the light had faded enough that he decided to look for a place to bed down for the night.

Finding a vacant alcove in the roots of a particularly massive tree, he camouflaged himself and drifted off to sleep.

Morning came early, the sun not even having risen by the time he was back to following the road. He parallelled its course until the trees started thinning, giving way to rolling green hills and fields. And just visible between two hills, he caught sight of a town. It looked to be fairly small, but it was the first sign of civilization he had seen. Picking up his pace, he finally stepped onto the road. Things were starting to look up.

He entered the town a couple hours after sunrise, and many people were bustling around, going about their business. Most were humans, but a few were very distinctly not. The most common of these had the head and legs of a horse, but the chest and arms of a human. Many had fur covering not just their horse parts, but also spreading onto their shoulders and bellies.

He identified one out of curiosity.

[Ipotane Farmer](lvl 9)

He drew strange looks from everyone he passed, probably due to the ghillie suit he was still wearing. Most of the humans he saw wore modest brown clothing consisting of a shirt and trousers, and the ipotanes wore just a loincloth, with the females also including a chest wrap.

To start, he needed information, so he looked for the biggest, most official-looking building. It didn’t take him long to find it, or rather, them. There were two that were almost identical, with three stories instead of the usual one or infrequent two. They were on opposite sides of a large open square, and both had signs hanging above the doors. One had a painting of a cave, and the other, a bow and arrow.

Something was written on the signs, but it was a language that he didn’t recognize, which was saying something as he was at least conversational in many different languages. The letters looked a little similar to cyrillic, but were distinct and unique.

General Skill Unlocked! Polyglot(Unskilled I)

Greater than Average competence shown… Assessing true Skill level…

Skill Polyglot has upgraded from (Unskilled I) to (Skilled I)

Polyglot(Skilled I) - You have studied many different languages and can pick up others you encounter more easily. Proficiency with, and learning speed of new languages increases with skill level.

General Skills(1/10)

Polyglot(Skilled I)

He studied the words on the sign some more, and he found that they looked slightly more familiar while remaining incomprehensible. Hopefully with time that would change.

Shrugging, he made his way to the closer building, the one with the bow on its sign. Entering, he found a common room filled with tables and chairs, and a counter with a human woman who looked to be in her forties behind it along the back.

The entire wall to his right looked like a massive cork board with sheets of paper covering it, and to his left was a staircase leading up. There were several people in front of the cork board, perusing the papers, including one that immediately snagged his eye. They were facing away so he couldn’t see more than their back, but what he could see were massive butterfly wings, seemingly made of onyx and smoke, their ethereal patterns constantly shifting and swirling.

As he entered, conversation ceased, everybody in the room turning to stare at him, including the winged figure.

It was a woman, but unlike any he had ever seen. Her general shape, and the lower half of her face were like a human, but that was where the similarities ended. Chitinous plates covered her body, thickest around her vitals, while still showcasing her lithe curves. In the places not covered by the natural armor, her skin shimmered and shifted like her wings, silver and black patterns forming and dispersing before his eyes.

Starting just above her nose, a large crest emerged from her head, mirroring the shape of her wings, and two large, featherlike shapes on the sides of her head formed what he assumed were her ears. Her eyes were luminous silver orbs, with neither pupil nor iris, and occasionally he saw onyx whisps curl through them before disappearing.

Despite her complete lack of clothing, her chitin armor did a perfect job of protecting her modesty.

Slightly uncomfortable at being the center of attention, he walked up to the counter, hoping the person there spoke English and had some information for him. The woman, who had mousy brown hair and hazel eyes, addressed him as he neared.

“Welcome, stranger. How can I help you?”

Thank God, she speaks English.

“I’m new to these parts and could use some information. To start off, where I can get a hot meal and a place to stay for a few days.”

The woman smiled affably. “There are a couple of establishments throughout the town, but I would recommend staying here. We have rooms upstairs available for rent, with meals included. It’s a reasonable price, only five silver Royals per night.”

Jared nodded, wondering how he could ask what the monetary system was like without seeming like an absolute dunce.

“So five gold Imperials would get me…?”

The woman’s smile didn’t even falter.

“A room and meals for ten days. Additionally, as a branch of the Hunters’ Guild, we have the job board, which you may peruse at your leisure.” She gestured to the paper-covered wall.

So a gold Imperial is worth 10 silver Royals. Good to know.

Jared nodded again, pulling five gold coins from his pouch. “I’ll take the room, along with breakfast if it’s still being served.”

The woman’s smile widened, and she swept the coins off the counter in a practiced movement. “Certainly. Can I get a name to open your tab?”

“Jared Moore.”

She opened a book that rested beside her on the desk, writing something down. He made sure to watch what characters she wrote, figuring it was good to know how to write one’s name. Then she took a key from beneath the counter and handed it to him.

“It’s very nice to make your acquaintance, Jared. My name is Theresa. Here’s your key. You have the goblin room, on the second floor, third door on the left. I'll have breakfast delivered there. Anything else I can help you with?”

Jared considered what to ask about next.

“Yeah, what can you tell me about the Hunters’ Guild and that other building across the plaza? Assume I grew up in the woods and this is my first time in a city.”

Theresa’s smile faltered for a moment, before she caught herself and plastered it back on.

“Of course. The Hunters’ and Delvers’ Guilds are some of the oldest organizations in the kingdom, going back centuries. The Hunters’ Guild members can take jobs from the board that do not exceed their rank, which usually involve hunting down some monster or beast. The Delvers’ guild is similar, but with jobs relating to clearing dungeons or retrieving parts from certain monsters that are known to reside in nearby dungeons.

"Jobs can be turned in for a monetary reward at any branch of the associated Guild by displaying the notification of quest completion. Unfortunately, since the nearest dungeon is more than a week’s journey away, the Delvers’ guild branch in this town will not have many jobs.”

She looked at him curiously before continuing.

“Would you like to register with the Hunters’ Guild?”

“Can I take jobs without being a member? And who provides the jobs and the pay for completing them?”

“The job poster pays the guild if they can afford it, and if they cannot, the job is subsidized by the crown, ensuring payment for completion. And I apologize, but you do need a membership in a Guild to be able to take their respective jobs.”

“Ok. How do I sign up?”

“The registration fee is 5 gold Imperials, which covers the cost of your guild badge and processing. If you have that with you, I can issue you a membership right now.”

He pulled out the rest of his gold that he had kept on him, handing it over.

Theresa made it disappear with the same swiftness as the first payment, and pulled an iron plate, about half an inch tall and two inches long, from beneath the counter. It had a hole on either end and a clear gemstone set in the center. Grabbing a leather cord from a pile on the counter, she threaded it through the holes and handed it to Jared, along with a small needle.

“Place a drop of blood on that, and it will bind to you. Once bound, it can serve as identification for legal purposes and will change metals when you Ascend to match your rank, so you’ll want to have it visible if possible.”

Taking the items, he pricked his finger with the needle, allowing a drop of blood to well up. He wiped the drop on the small iron plate. It shimmered, then shifted to a bright copper, his name engraving itself on the metal surface. The gemstone also shifted, becoming a deep, emerald green.

“Is there anything else?”

Jared could see Theresa was starting to get a little frustrated from having to deal with him, so he shook his head and headed up to his room. Following her directions, he ascended to the second floor and found the third door on the left, which had a stylized goblin carved into the wood.

He unlocked it and entered, finding a small room with a bed along one wall and a desk next to a dresser on the opposite. Straight ahead, a window looked out onto the Plaza. He removed his ghillie suit, leaving him just in his fatigues and sniper's leathers.

A knock sounded from the door, and opening it, Jared found a teenage boy holding a plate of eggs, sausages, and bread in one had, a mug of something sweet-smelling in the other.

“Here's your breakfast, sir. When you're finished, just leave the dishes on the desk and I'll collect them later.”

He took it and thanked the boy, closing the door to eat in peace.

The food was surprisingly flavorful, and the drink was some kind of juice that tasted like a cross between apples and strawberries.

He polished off his meal in record time, only then realizing he hadn't eaten since the previous day. Despite that, he hadn't really felt all that hungry. He had mostly asked about the meal out of habit.

He wondered why that was. Probably something to do with the system. Maybe he didn't need as much food as he used to. He didn't have a hunger category on his profile like Mimi did, after all.

Leaving the dishes on the desk, he took 10 more gold from Mimi, and headed back downstairs. He wanted to talk with someone at the Delvers’ guild. If they didn't know about the dungeon he had cleared, they might be willing to pay him for knowledge about it.

Eleisa waited until the strange human came back down the stairs, this time no longer covered in plants. She didn't know why he had been dressed like that, or what the strange metal staff he carried was. Maybe he was some kind of druid.

When he left the building, she followed him out, then called after him.

“Human, I would ask for a moment of your time.”

He was the first stranger she had seen since coming to this town. Maybe he wouldn't be as xenophobic as everybody else.

The man turned, and she took in his appearance, identifying him.

[Human{Spelljamming Offensive Powerhouse} Marksman](lvl 10)

He was slightly taller than average, clean shaven, with close cropped brown hair and icy blue eyes.

He did a double take as he saw her, his eyes widening before he composed himself.

“How can I help you miss…?”

He trailed off as if waiting for something, looking at her expectantly. It took her a moment to remember that this was the way that humans sometimes asked for the name of another. Placing her hand over her chest and bowing slightly, as was polite, she introduced herself.

“My name is Eleisa. I am gratified that you would speak with me. Most in this town have ignored my attempts to communicate. I have a request I would ask of you, if I may be so bold to impose upon you.”

The human rolled his eyes and turned away, and Eleisa's heart sank. But then he made a beckoning gesture with his finger.

“Well, miss Eleisa, I don't mind hearing you out, as long as you're willing to answer a few questions of my own and don't mind walking while we talk. I'm Jared. It's nice to meet you. ”

Eleisa stood there shell shocked for a moment, before hurrying to catch up with him.

“I am eminently grateful for your willingness to speak with me and will answer all questions I am able. But… Why do you call me miss? I am just Eleisa, of the Mind Eclipse.”

This human was confusing. Not that she had much experience interacting with humans in general.

The human rubbed the back of his neck, looking over at her as he answered.

“Well, you have been very polite, so I was trying to reciprocate. ‘Miss’ is a polite way to refer to an unmarried human female.”

“Oh, I see. I will remember that for the future. You may just call me Eleisa.”

By this time, they had reached the doors of the Delvers' guild, and the human, Jared, turned back to her.

“Just a moment, I have some business with the Delvers’ Guild. You're welcome to come in with me if you like, or you can stay and I'll hear you out when I'm finished.”

With that, he entered the Guild Hall, leaving Eleisa in the street. Bewildered at his behavior, she followed him inside, coming up behind him as he started speaking with the Guild representative.

“Hi, I'm new in town and wanted to see if you'll pay for information on dungeons nearby, as well as if you'll buy some creature parts.”

Dungeons? Isn't the closest one over a week's walk away?

The woman behind the counter, barely more than an adolescent, nodded as she answered him.

“If you have confirmable information about a nearby dungeon, the Guild would be willing to offer a monetary reward based on the amount and detail of information provided.

As for monster parts, we accept anything up to Rare, but nothing Shoddy or below. For items above Rare, you would need a job requesting that material in order to sell to the guild.”

Jared nodded, then went on to say something ridiculous. “Yesterday I cleared a small dungeon not far from here and would like to sell the information on it. And I have a couple of claws and fangs that meet your criteria.”

Eleisa almost turned around and walked out of the Guild hall then and there. This human was obviously a charlatan and it would do her no good to have dealings with him. If there was a dungeon so close, even a small one, it would be constantly swarmed with delvers. He was surely lying.

But… What if he's not?

Her curiosity won out and she decided to stick around to see if he could substantiate his claims.

The secretary opened up a system window, gesturing to it.

“Please display the relevant portion of your System Log here so that we can verify your claim.”

The man seemed confused for just a second, before fiddling with his interface for a few moments. Then, a couple of lines of text appeared in the window that the secretary had opened.

Congratulations, you have cleared the [Clandestine Caverns] Dungeon!

Congratulations, you have completed GEAS Quest(Mandatory): Cull the Dungeon!

At the sight of the notifications, the secretary paled.

“You stopped a dungeon break?”

Jared nodded, as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world.

Eleisa just stared at the two lines of text.

She didn't hear the next few exchanges between Jared and the Guild representative, her mind whirling with the revelation.

Her Queen's words echoed in her mind, spoken while under the effects of a future sight Skill.

“In the land of the humans, there is a town at the edge of the Azureleaf Forest. Go there and find the one who is not of this land. They are your path to true strength. You will know them as one who Culls the Dungeon.”

She had found him! The wording was the same as his quest, she was sure of it. After searching and waiting for so long, she had found her path to power!

“You stopped a dungeon break?”

Jared nodded.

“Yeah, how did you know?”

The girl pointed to the second notification.

“The GEAS only gives mandatory quests very rarely. One of the only known circumstances is if a dungeon is about to break.”

She pronounced GEAS strangely, like gesh. He wondered why. Maybe it was just her accent.

“As the party responsible for stopping a dungeon break that would have destroyed the town, you are entitled to a reward of 10,000 gold Imperials. Unfortunately, we do not have that amount of money on hand here. But I will give you a system authenticated writ of accomplishment, which you can turn in at a branch of the Delvers’ Guild in any major city. Now, what can you tell me about the dungeon?”

Jared was surprised at the amount of money, but explained everything he remembered about the dungeon while the girl wrote down everything he said. He even drew a sketch of the cave as he remembered it.

As he finished up, he turned to Mimi. “Can you get me the claws and fangs that are better than Shoddy?” She hummed in assent and formed a mouth at the end of her barrel, spitting out what Jared had requested.

Instantly, the girl at the counter jumped back in fright, and he saw a blur of black and gray as Eleisa launched her chitin-plated fist at Naomi shouting as she did so.

“Mimic! Drop it quickly before it attacks!”

Jared pivoted to bring Mimi out of harm's way, waving his hand placatingly.

“Whoa whoa whoa, there's no need for that. She's friendly.”

Eleisa flicked her eyes to his face for a brief moment, before refocusing on the gun. “Explain.”

He put his head in his hand. “I'm sorry, this is my fault. I forgot to introduce you. Eleisa, meet Naomi. Mimi, say hello.”

The gun formed a pair of eyes, which narrowed at Eleisa in suspicion. Jared blinked at the decidedly bizarre sight, then sighed. “Be nice. She thought you were going to hurt me and was just worried for my safety. I'm sure she didn't mean anything by it. Now say hello properly.”

Reluctantly, the mimic formed a pseudopod and waved at the strange butterfly girl, who was frozen in shock.

She turned her gaze to Jared.

“You are… traveling… With a mimic? Knowingly?!”

Jared laughed at Eleisa's incredulous expression. “Yep. She was starved half to death, so I gave her some mana crystals, which filled her right up. She also ate my rifle, so to pay me back, she became a new one for me.”

Eleisa grew even more disbelieving, fear starting to creep into her voice and expression.

“You found a defenseless mimic, and did not immediately kill it? Why not? Mimics are some of the most feared of all monsters. They can perfectly imitate any object, and even some weak creatures. They lull their prey into a false sense of security, only to strike when least expected. I do not know what this one is planning, but I am certain that it is just using you for its own nefarious purposes. We must kill it now, before it is too late.”

Jared was shaking his head before she even finished.

“That's where you're wrong. Mimi is my friend, and we've both got titles to prove it. Mimi and I are a packaged deal. If you want my help, you'll just have to get used to her.”

Eleisa eyed them both suspiciously.

“You are not being deceitful? You truly consider this creature to be your… Friend?”

Jason nodded. “I do.”

She took a deep breath, then lowered her fists.

“Then I will trust your judgment.” She performed the same half bow as when she introduced herself to Jared.

“It is… Unique to make your acquaintance, Naomi. I hope you will forgive my previous distrust.”

She once again addressed Jared. “I apologize for attacking your friend. I will await you outside, if it pleases you to join me when your business is concluded.” With that, she spun on her heel and exited the building, leaving Jared alone with the Guild representative. She was still standing where she had frozen, white-faced with shock, hands up wardingly.

“You’re sure your…friend isn’t going to attack?”

Jared chuckled. “I’m sure. Mimi’s a sweetheart. You just gotta get to know her.”

He took a deep breath, happy he had been able to defuse the situation.

It’s a good thing there’s nobody else here. If the room had been full of people, like the Hunters’ Guild, I don’t know what would have happened.

The girl looked at the gun, who was now gazing up at Jared wide eyed, skeptically. “If you say so. Anyway, give me a moment to appraise these materials.”

She gazed intently at each claw and fang for a moment, before writing something down and moving to the next one.

“Alright, these are of an ideal size for spearheads or shortswords, but the quality is something to be desired. And you said that this afanc was from the dungeon?”

Jared nodded.

“Okay. For the claws and fangs, I’ll give you 100 gold Imperials. I know it’s not a lot, but I can’t justify any more considering their quality. Now for the information on the dungeon, I can offer a lot more. You gave a very detailed description, which will drastically decrease the danger for future Delvers. I can provisionally offer you 1500 gold Imperials, with a possible bonus of up to 500 Imperials once someone from the Guild can complete the dungeon and confirm your info. Does that all sound alright?”

“More than alright. I honestly wasn’t expecting so much.”

The girl smiled. “Anything that increases the chances that our Delvers return from dungeons is worth a lot to the Guild. Now if you’ll wait here a moment, I’ll go get your payment.”

She grabbed the claws and fangs from the counter, going through a door set into the back wall, off to one side. She re-emerged a few minutes later with a small cloth pouch.

“Here’s your gold. As an apology for not being able to pay you the full amount you are due for saving the town from a dungeon break, I have also included a small dimensional pouch. It is only about a cubic meter, but you won’t feel the weight of anything placed inside. Within you’ll find your 1600 gold imperials, as well as the writ of accomplishment. If you leave town before we can get someone to verify the dungeon details, come back here and I’ll give you another writ for your bonus.”

“You didn’t have to, but I won’t say no to free stuff. Thanks.” He took the pouch, then his brow crinkled as a thought struck him. “Wait, you said I could only get the bonus once the info on the dungeon is confirmed. How will a branch somewhere else know if it has, and if it’s worth the full bonus?”

The girl blinked, as if taken off guard by the question.

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that. Each branch of the Guild has a way to communicate with every other branch within the kingdom, and even a few in other kingdoms. It’s not super sophisticated, but it’s enough for what we need it to do. Can I help you with anything else?”

She almost sounded hopeful with her last question.

Jared considered, then asked Mimi for a mana crystal. Handing it over to the girl, he nodded.

“How much would these go for?”

She examined the crystal for a moment before her eyes widened. “Oh wow. I haven’t seen mana crystals of this quality since my training in the capitol. Any mana crystals are worth a lot due to their usefulness for almost any crafting-related class, but crystals of this quality? You could make a fortune selling just a few.”

She handed it back to Jared, shaking her head.

“Honestly, I wouldn’t sell these, at least not here. You’d be much better served using them yourself, if you’ve got any crafting Skills. Especially since it seems like you won’t exactly be hard up for cash in the near future.” She glanced meaningfully at his new pouch. “If you can’t use them yourself, I would commission a crafter to use them to make something for you. You’ll get way more value out of them that way than just selling them.”

He gave the crystal back to Mimi, nodding gratefully at the girl. “Thanks, I appreciate the advice. You have been more helpful than I could have hoped for.” He opened his pouch, pulled out ten gold coins, and handed them to her. “You could have just told me a price, taking the crystals and running with them, which may have been the more business savvy option. You didn’t, which says a lot about your character. Take this as a token of my appreciation, miss…?”

“K-Karrie. My name is Karrie. And you really don’t-”

She started to protest, but Jared cut her off.

“Yes I do. I feel like I’m taking advantage of you otherwise. So, if for no other reason than my personal comfort, take the money. As you said, I’m not exactly hard up for cash.”

He placed the coins on the counter, and turned, heading for the door. “It was nice to meet you, Karrie. I’m Jared. If you need me for anything, I’ll be staying in the goblin room of the Hunters’ Guild while I’m in town.”

He waved at her as he opened the door, then walked out into the street.

That had gone surprisingly well.

He sighed as he caught sight of Eleisa, who immediately bowed and started babbling apologies.

Now he just had an overly polite bug-girl to deal with.