The Chronicles of a Scalebound Sage: Wandmaker Vol.2

WM [17] A Forest Jaunt

It was about mid day before Bjorn noticed an unusual smell in the air. It smelled like mana but also wrong, he didn't have the words to describe the feeling other than a wound in the mana of the world. The iron tang of blood soon followed and he could tell they were coming up on something. Bjorn and the rest of them were upwind of whatever was ahead of them so he didn't sense the creatures until they were practically on top of them. Alfred made them all get down low to the ground as they crept closer.

The forest was dense in this area, but Bjorn got a good look at the monster pack. They were exactly as he had described. Small humanoid creatures, but only humanoid in the sense they had two legs and two arms. They were the size of children, but their anatomy was wrong with too many joints and an extended spine that caused their stomachs to droop down. Five of them crunching on bone and flesh in a horrifyingly violent feeding frenzy on something that could no longer be identified.

Identify

Name: None
Species: Crawling Stalker
Level: 12
Vocation: Hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger

The creatures had a head-like stalk between its shoulders, but instead of a skull with eyes, nose, and ears it only opened into a ring of lamprey teeth. The most disturbing thing about the creatures was the complete silence despite the brutality displayed. Alfred had warned them that the creatures were known as crawling stalkers because they had the unique magic of silence. They were able to make themselves and anything in a short range completely silent.

Alfred waited back as he pointed to a good position for Bjorn and Tanisha. He wouldn't be helping unless it was absolutely necessary. Bjorn was able to snake his way to the right spot without issue. His use of his three heads to monitor surroundings, watch his step and navigate made him confident in his skill. The fact that everything was completely quiet also seemed to be a downside to the monsters as well. Bjorn wondered how they hunted and knew where anything around them was.

Ah, right. He said they are ambush hunters and use vibrations to see. That's why we have to strike from outside of their vibration range.

Bjorn got into position on the opposite side of Tanisha and the feeding frenzy. He felt her signal through the bond; she was ready. Bjorn breathed from his right head, slowly letting Poison Cloud seep into the area without alerting the monsters.

Poison Cloud
Aether Cost: 5
With your right head, you can mix venom into the air using magic, creating a large area of poisonous gas. This gas will rapidly reduce the health of those inside. Allies within your Poison Cloud are unaffected. Gain control over the spread and density of the Poison Cloud.

The cloud swam with aetheric energy which, despite Bjorn's effort, immediately caused all of them to turn towards him as they sensed the new source of power. Bjorn flooded the monsters with the toxic gas, seeing as they already knew he was there. He had to carefully watch the five of them as they darted towards him on legs and arms that bent and twisted unnatural ways to get them to him as quickly as possible.

Another big difference between monsters and animals was the instincts for self preservation. Animals would size up an opponent or disengage if it was a fight they didn't think they would win. Monsters, at least those at that level, attacked relentlessly no matter what was in front of them or how much damage they endured. It was that lack of hesitation and restless charge that caused new monster hunters a moment of vacillation, a moment they rarely had before they were torn apart.

Bjorn was not one to hesitate even while facing the odd creatures. Instead he knew to follow the plan that Alfred told them. When it came to fighting monsters, it was important not to treat them like fighting animals or even real biological creatures. They were essentially masses of corrupted congealed mana, and the more damage they took, the more aggressive they became.