Riftside - Chapter 47

I scanned the steelhusk forest surrounding us, my enhanced senses seeming to pick up every rustle of leaves and Roq felt lighter than ever.

It had been difficult to fall asleep, with Ivan's crushed face haunting me every time I closed my eyes. But then I'd remember Ma's face when we told her the smithy was safe and Pa's relieved smile. My family was alive and safe. That thought had let me drift off into a surprisingly peaceful slumber.

I'd been up early for breakfast at the Hollow Hearth with Eryn. Fresh bread, still warm from the ovens, and thick porridge sweetened with dried berries. We'd eaten quickly, eager to meet Knut and begin our hunt, but those quiet moments together were like gold.

Last night’s division of spoils had gone smoothly, too. Garrett's face had lit up when we presented him with Ivan's plate armor - it would serve him well as he developed his tanking abilities. Nina had happily taken the mage's staff and five gold, while Finn had received the other twenty-five gold I'd found on Ivan.

I'd claimed the thug’s ruined two-handed sword for Pa so he could turn it into something or keep around as a reminder, and gave Ma the crossbow for protection. Just in case some other rift-rotten thug came to cause trouble. All she had to do was point and release the mechanism. The bolt would do the rest.

“A couple hours of hunting should do it,” I said. “Then we head back. With any luck, we'll find a good chunk of the gems you need.”

“Ding!” Eryn popped another mind gem into her mouth and shuddered. “How did you manage to do this for so long? I feel so bloated as if I’m about to pop!”

“What number is that? The gem I mean?”

“I'm level seven with two mind gems left to consume.” Eryn said. “Which sounds impossible, but there it is. What a day, huh?”

On our way out we'd stopped at the Adventuring Guild, receiving nine mind gems, which was the difference between the tank gem and the damage dealer class gem I'd received from Edwin. They had all gone straight to Eryn along with the five mind gems we had found on Ivan.

“Twenty-five more and little bird become bigger bird,” Knut said, both his voice and face showing genuine happiness and excitement. Sure, he was the tank and supposed to keep us out of danger, but we all knew that a party was only as strong as the weakest link. Which was her, in this case. Once she classed up, too, our overall fighting capabilities would be much higher. And then Knut would finally get his equal share after letting us…catch up a bit first.

“I'll need my class gem too, but yes.”

“We'll find a way to get one for you,” I said, giving her a big smile and put an arm around her. “I have a feeling luck will be on our side.”

“What do we do about the dungeon raid?” she asked. “I'm not going to get classed in time.”

It’d been on my mind too.

“Maybe I can join one of the other groups and you come as a scavenger?” I tried to keep my voice light, but it didn't sound too tempting. “Maybe Edwin would let me join his party? I don’t know, but we'll figure something today once I join the guild.”

Knut's massive hand slapped between my shoulder blades, nearly sending me stumbling despite my enhanced strength.

“Fine for you,” he grumbled good-naturedly, “But me? Who watch back if I don't go?” He shook his head dramatically. “Must protect golden bird. Too large to carry now. I must shield from danger.”

Eryn laughed.

“I like the new look,” she said and reached out to squeeze my bicep. “The old one was good too, but these arms... I can already imagine so many things they—”

“Ahem,” Knut said, clearing his throat. “Golden bird not think naughty things on hunt. Must focus. At night you do… whatever birds do.”

I felt heat creep up my neck and scratched the back of my head, chuckling self-consciously as we both tried to ignore the big man’s not-so-subtle jab and headed deeper into the forest.

“These mating rituals make me sick,” Roq said. “Sick I tell you! Can't we find something to splatter instead? Kill? Maim? Destroy? Devour? I have these interesting fantasies where you place me inside monsters so I can take eat their souls before they leave. Wouldn’t that be awesome?”

I sighed, and tried to enjoy the quiet of the forest outside my all too noisy head as the hammer blabbered on and on.

  *

Some time later, the steelhusk trees thinned as we approached the ironclad ravine, and we stood among the now familiar shards of metallic-like stone. The ravine ran like a massive gash in the ground, one we knew like the back of our hand and had made our personal farming spot.

“By rift, I love this place!” Knut gestured expansively, his armor clanking. “Perfect hunting ground for fun rock puppies. With golden bird's nose we stuff storage!” He punched the air with his shield arm. “Your strength and my expertise, we farm like wheat!”

“Bah, Shardfangs are getting boring!” Roq said. “No meat on their bones. What we need is… another Platemaw! Now that was a proper fight! Maybe we'll get lucky and find another one of those beauties lurking down here? Just imagine going head to head with one now that we’re so much stronger. You wouldn’t even have to run for your life this time!”

“I doubt it. The Platemaw didn't seem normal. Not quite a variant, but definitely a rare monster.”

“Killjoy! But fine, I suppose I will make do with drinking the meagre blood of rock puppies… for now.”

Eryn bounced on her toes beside me, her bow already in hand.

“Can we stop talking and start hunting? Every minute we waste is another minute I'm not getting closer to being classed!” She gestured toward the ravine's mouth. “I refuse to enter the Twisted Titan as just another scavenger. I’m not getting left behind, Ash.”

I nodded, then turned to Knut.

“After you, big guy. Get your aggression on!”

Knut grinned beneath his beard.

“Oh? Mighty warrior still need help? Not invincible after transformation?”

I snorted.

“My mind stat went up, not down. Why would I tank those things when I've got you to do it? I'll stick to smashing things, thank you very much.”

Knut laughed and started down the slope.

“Stats. When you show me? I want proof of crazy transformation.”

“Soon,” I promised. “Just not quite yet. There are some things I need to keep—”

“Yes, yes, secrets!” Knut waved a hand dismissively. “Always you have secrets. But one thing not secret — we will be rich!”

Before I could respond, Knut slammed his mace against his shield. The clash of metal on metal echoed through the ravine and we could see a few rocky heads turning our way.

“Here rock puppies!” he bellowed. “Come play!”

Eryn climbed up onto a nearby ledge.

“What are you doing?”

“Having fun!” Knut called back. “Ash not weak like chicken. We hunt! No sneaking!”

“You absolute lunatic!” Eryn swore, but Knut just laughed as dark shapes emerged from crevices in the ravine — one, three, five, eight growling Shardfangs, their stone-like hides blending nearly perfectly with the terrain.

“Weaklings!” Roq said. “Let me show them what real power feels like!”

I lifted my shield, my own excitement matching Roq's as the Shardfangs charged.

  *

Eryn dangled her legs over the edge of her ledge, swinging them gently as Knut and I walked among the scattered carcasses of Shardfangs.

“I never thought I'd see anything like that,” Eryn said, shaking her head. “Knut, you just… stood there? Seemed their claws did nothing. And Ash,” she said, turning to me. “Felt like every hit was a magical attack the way you sent them flying — it was incredible!”

I couldn't help but smile, thinking how different it had felt from our previous hunts. “It really was something else. Before, every fight was this desperate struggle. But now?” I flexed my enhanced muscles, still marveling at the changes. “It felt like the monsters moved in slow motion.”

“I'm just glad you're on our side,” Eryn said. “I'd hate to face someone with that kind of power.”

Knut chuckled. 

“True. Even I would think twice about crossing new Ash.Maybe we arm wrestle later, see who stronger now, eh?”

“Enough talking!” Roq said. “I need more! More blood, more death, more destruction! These pathetic creatures barely whet my appetite! And that girl of yours needs her mind gems. See? It’s not all about me.”

“Patience, Roq, but yes, I appreciate your…enthusiasm. See any gems?”

“Just one,” Roq replied. “The one I split in half. So weak… At least it had the decency to provide us with a gem.”

“We got one,” I announced to the others.

Knut squinted at me, then asked, “How is mana? A lot of smashing.”

I closed my eyes, focusing inward on the wellspring of power that had awakened during my transformation. I could check my Soul Chart, but I wanted to learn how to feel the general level so I wouldn't be dependent on being able to touch my wrist. But by calming myself and sending my senses inward I could get a general sense. There was a slight emptiness to it, one which was slowly started filling once my heart rate settled and the battle rush faded.

“About eighty percent,” I said, opening my eyes. “Just need to catch my breath.” I moved among the fallen Shardfangs, swiping six of them into my spatial storage, including the gem-bearing one. “I'll be ready to go once I'm done looting.”

Knut slammed his mace against his shield again. 

“We hunt! Come, little rock puppies! Big bad Knut wants to play!”

Eryn sighed from her perch, but I could hear the smile in her voice. 

“Here we go again.”

  *

A Shardfang leaped at my face with its stone-like claws extended. My shield smashed into the beast mid-flight. The creature went flying, tumbling across the ravine floor in a spray of loose rock.

My new strength and speed made these monsters feel like child's play, and when I used my sigil, they showed up so dark grey, it was almost black. I swept Roq in an arc, catching a Shardfang across its neck. Rocky bones shattered with a satisfying crunch.

“MORE!” Roq said. “Feel how they crumble? Their blood sings to me, Ash. It begs for serenades of death and destruction!”

A Shardfang's jaws snapped shut where my leg had been a heartbeat before. I backpedaled smoothly, my reflexes carrying me just out of range. A fourth beast charged, but I caught it with Roq's shaft, nudging it off course.

Everything flowed. Each movement felt natural, precise — as if I'd trained for years instead of weeks. My body knew exactly what to do with my new strength, or maybe it was finally able to keep up with what I’d wanted it to do in the first place. I was much faster and stronger now, able to leap, jump, and swing much faster and harder, allowing me to fight effectively. 

Another Shardfang fell to my strike, its armored hide split beneath my hammer's blow.

Twenty paces away, Knut stood like an iron wall as three Shardfangs threw themselves against him, all eating a face full of steel. He didn't budge an inch under their assault. Two beasts lay dead nearby, shattered by Eryn’s new arrows.

Another projectile whistled down, but this time it sheared off a Shardfang's hide. The monster turned from me, its eyes locking onto Eryn’s perch. Before I could react, it turned toward her, stone claws scrabbling for purchase on the rough ground.

I spun, slamming Roq into the ground, and a grey light shot out from within him as we activated the new ability he’d gained at level eight. Monster essence stored in my spatial storage converted instantly into writhing tendrils made of steelhusk that shot through the ground. They erupted beneath the Shardfang, wrapping around its legs and rooting it in place.

Three quick strides brought me within range as the creature thrashed against its bonds, but they held firm until I brought Roq down on its back, killing it.

I turned back to find the last five Shardfangs circling Knut, two having abandoned me to focus on him. One darted in, managing to get its jaws around his armored leg.

“Enough!” Knut roared and leaped, the beast lifted into the air by its mouth, and he crashed back down. The impact released a shock wave that staggered the Shardfangs. Knut seized the moment, his mace crushing one's skull while his shield battered another away.

I ran over and ended two more beasts before they could recover. The final monster was booted in the face by Knut, flipped over on its back. He planted his tower shield across its neck and leaned on it until the neck broke.

“Nice save, Roq,” Eryn whispered as she walked past me, having jumped down from her spot. “I'm perfectly fine fighting these bastards from afar, but I prefer that distance.”

“Tell her she is welcome, because she helps bring me kills, and blood, and destruction.”

“You are welcome,” I said, and looked up at the sun, noting its position. “We should probably start heading back soon.”

“Gems?” Eryn asked. “Did we get any more?”

“One more,” Roq said in my mind. “In the beast your woman shot earlier.”

“There's one in the first Shardfang you killed,” I said. “So, five total.”

Knut's brow furrowed. “How you know?”

“Oh, you know.” I shrugged. “Simple math?”

“No. Not counting. It having gem.” Knut's frown deepened. “I thought you need touch carcasses?”

“Oh… yes? That is true, but there's also a certain,” I said and waved my hands vaguely in the air, searching for the right words.

Knut just stared at me.

“What?”

“It's more of an art than a science?” I tried.

“What you mean?”

Before I could fumble for another excuse, Roq's voice cut through my thoughts. For the first time since I'd known him, he sounded genuinely unsettled, maybe even afraid.

“Ash,” he said, his mental voice wavering. “I can hear it again. The voice. Something’s here, and it’s hungry!”

I froze, my muscles going rigid as I strained my ears, unable to hear anything but the wind whistling through the ravine.

“Hold on,” I said, raising my hand. “Something's not right.”

Knut's usual playful demeanor vanished instantly. His shield came up and his eyes narrowed as he scanned our surroundings.

“What is it? I miss a monster?” he asked.

“The voice,” Roq said. “It's getting clearer now. I can almost make out what it’s saying.”

“What? Talk to me!”

Roq hesitated.

“It... it knows we're here. It knows I'm here.” Another pause. “I don't like this voice, Ash. Something about it feels wrong. I don't want to go back!”

“Back? Back where?”

“I don't know. But I like you, Ash,” Roq said. “You are my friend and I don't want you to die. There. I said it. Don’t let the voice take me! I don’t want to end up in a monster’s lair for all of eternity!”

I turned toward Eryn just as a low rumble rolled through the ravine. The sound started faint, like distant thunder, but grew steadily louder. “We need to leave,” I said sharply. “Now. This feels like what happened with the scuttlers. Go!”

Knut glanced around, a hint of his usual humor returning. 

“Why leave? With new strength, we kill anything! More rock puppies, more gems!”

My pulse quickened as I gripped Roq tighter, turning to scan the ridges above as I made to back off.

“I’m not talking about Shardfangs, Knut. Damn it, listen to me! Retreat!”

“ASH!” Roq cried in my mind. “We must leave!”

But before I could move, the growling intensified and gravel shifted up on the ridge. As one, we turned our eyes upward as a monster stepped into view.

The creature was enormous — like a mutated cat, but even bigger than the Platemaw we'd fought. Yellow fur bristled along its frame, and lightning danced across its hackles and shoulders, arcing outward with sharp cracks. Its yellow eyes were locked onto Roq, as if the beast could see straight through the hammer's metallic shape to the soul within.

The monster padded to the edge, seeming to savor each step. There, it threw back its head and roared.

“By all the gods above and below,” Knut whispered and then continued muttering something I couldn’t understand. Perhaps it was a prayer in his language. Not that it mattered.

“Portal-sucking monster balls,” Eryn gasped. “Ash, what is that thing?”.

The sheer size of the creature made anything we’d faced so far look like, well, child’s play. A slick voice slithered its way into my mind, shooting a wave of pain up my skull and dropping me to my knees. 

“Betrayer. Thief. I will slice you apart and lap up your essence from within.”

“Thief? Go suck on a portal, you oversized furball!” Roq yelled and I could feel him fighting the voice. “I’m going to smash you so hard your brain comes out of your arse!”