《Monsters of Terra: A Compendium》Matrons
Advertisement
Finally, we reach the topic of matrons.
These are perhaps the most dangerous of the skree, and also the most elusive. Thus, I know very little about them and what little I do know is based on notes others have made as I’ve never seen them.
It’s probably the reason why I’m alive.
So, as I mentioned in my earlier overview of the skree, matrons appear to be their leaders.
And, given how unbelievably dangerous the skree are, it stands to reason that their leaders would be no different. And, if that’s what you think… you couldn’t be more correct.
The reports I have of them are hazy at best. It seems they spend most of their time behind the scenes, perhaps giving orders and creating battle plans. Maybe they even bicker amongst each other the way our own leaders do?
If only I could get one of them to talk…
If there is a skree that could tell us more about their society, then it would definitely be the matrons. But, while there are numerous reports that they are capable of speech… none have ever been captured.
They’re far too dangerous to take in alive, and that’s assuming you could ever be in a position to do so.
The reports I have put them at thirty to sixty feet tall. And, while people are given to exaggeration, I think that leaves a lot of room for them to be utterly terrifying. Especially when you consider that brute force is not where their strength lies. But, we’ll get to that in a moment.
Damn, I wish the dwarves had taken the time to give more accurate descriptions… though I suppose I can’t fault them for it. I’ll just have to do the best I can with what I have to work with.
Advertisement
Most reports describe matrons as being larger than scuttlers, a lot larger, and possessing an almost humanoid upper body complete with a pair of hands. Though they’re said to have more fingers than we do.
The reports disagree on how many exactly. Some say six fingers to a hand, others say thirteen. I guess when you’re running and fighting for your life counting fingers on the thing murdering you, and everyone around you isn’t your highest priority.
Aside from these humanoid hands, matrons have six legs which end in barbed claws. And, while their legs aren’t the sharp, blade-like weapons of the scuttler they can crush a man in plate armor like you or I might squash a roach beneath the heel of our boot.
Ironic isn’t it?
They also have a long tail, reminiscent of a scorpion’s. The reports disagree on whether or not it contains venom. Some say it does, some say it doesn’t, and others say it doesn’t matter because being hit with the damn thing will kill you either way.
There have also been reports that they have a set of wings hidden under the thick, armored carapace on their backs. But, I wouldn’t put too much stock in that. Given that they’re said to do everything from breathing fire like a dragon to turning into beautiful women and seducing unwitting dwarves, I think we can safely assume that there’s a lot of rubbish mixed in among truths.
Really, getting anything conclusive on these things is damn near impossible so take what I say with a grain of salt. Or, perhaps, a bucket.
Now, finally, we get to what makes them truly threatening. Yes, the deadly tail, enormous physical strength, and possibility of flight are just the gravy on this dish of nightmares.
It’s true threat… is magic.
Advertisement
They are the only known skree to cast spells, and their spells are unbelievably powerful. Their magic has been said to rival that of the most powerful wizards to ever live. Given how those wizards reached near-godlike power… I’m not sure that’s true. If it were, the dwarves would’ve fallen ages ago and the rest of the world with them.
But, while they may not be quite that powerful, they are still not to be trifled with, and one thing every report I’ve come across can agree on is that when a matron arrives… the battle is over.
And, not in a good way.
So, this begs the question then… why don’t they get more involved? What stops them? Do they have other enemies we don’t know about? Do they suffer from infighting? Pride? Greed?
A being capable of wielding magic and commanding others would definitely indicate a high intellect, but how high? Do they have emotions? Friends? Lovers? How different from us are the skree?
Many of these questions may never be answered, but one that can be is: Are the skree dangerous?
Without a doubt, yes.
Nicholas Wolfram, Professor of Monsterology at Lestria University
Advertisement
Farmer Boy
Evel was just a farmer boy in a remote village. Where other boys left to go on adventures, he stayed with what remained of his family, toiling away at the field his father had left him with. One day, as he explored the woods, he was attacked by a wild goblin. Afraid and weak, he could only cower when a knight came to his rescue, saving him from his untimely death. Then, as he stared at the corpse of the goblin, he had an idea, and buried the goblin into the soil before planting some seeds over it. He thought the goblin would act as a good fertilizer! At least, according to that old book he read. To be fair, it was. But how was he supposed to realise that it would bear so much more? A slice-of-life story of a fantasy farmer boy growing towards the future, and all that happens along the way. -Updates roughly twice a week. New chapters every Tuesdays and Fridays-
8 76Don't Come Inside, Okay?
Lars Cromwell just got dumped by his girlfriend of 3 months, apparently because she found someone better. Although the normal man would have been bummed out by this, Lars didn't particularly mind. Because Lars just won the lottery, which meant he was about a billion dollars richer now. And he had one less person to share it with! Even if he was single, at least he was filthy stinking rich! In any case, this is Lars' story. A story that begins just like how many others do. With his death. Join Lars as he reincarnates into another world as his Avatar together with his favorite game's Dungeon and it's NPCs! = This Work is on an indefinite Hiatus. I do not know when I'll get back to this, but I plan to rewrite a bunch of stuff when I do. If you liked this, keep following it so that I can inform you of when I improve this! = Hello, I'm Lire, and this is my 2nd fiction. I recently got into the whole dungeon thing, and thought that I wanted to write one of my own! Chapter Length: 2000+ Words. It can only be more, never less. Chapter Release Schedule: Whenever I can write. I am juggling this with my main Fiction, so yeah... Disclaimer: - Don't expect much statistical growth from the MC. Although I plan for him to refine his techniques and increase his repertoire. - You can guess from the name, but there will not be too much action in the dungeon itself. Plus, the dungeon has been fully built, so not too many things will be added either. The whole idea is to kill potential intruders before they enter the Dungeon. - This will be more like a Kingdom building story, than a Dungeon Building one. MC will try to dominate his surroundings so that he can keep his Dungeon safe. - There will be Slice of life elements, since realistically speaking, events aren't supposed to happen all the time. - This work is inspired, to a certain extent, by Murayama-sama's Overlord Light novel. Minus the 'emotionless' undead MC, and the premise of misunderstandings. The NPCs will also be aware that they were characters in a game, that came to life for some reason, so no need for MC to role-play to pull the wool over the eyes of his own allies. Also, unlike Overlord, there is a chance for the cast of characters to increase through a built-in gacha system(This is not a spoiler, this will literally be explained in the first few chapters.), except that the rates are absolutely abysmal, so it won't happen frequently. Maybe I'll use a poll to decide the next ally? We'll see.
8 124Bloodthirsty (END)
Felyx. Seorang mahasiswi jurusan kedokteran Universitas Seine dan bekerja magang di sebuah Rumah Sakit Seaince. Hanya karena percobaan ilegal yang telah dilakukan, menyebabkan dunia ini dalam masalah besar. Kehidupannya mulai berubah drastis 180˚. Entah mengapa harus dia yang mengetahui segala yang terjadi. Apakah ia dapat mengembalikan kehidupan yang hancur ini kembali seperti semula? "Lakukan sesuatu!! Bukankah mereka teman kita??!!" "Mereka bukan TEMAN!. Mereka adalah MONSTER !!!"End : 2018
8 430Blood and Honor (Rewrite)
Fate is such a simple and complicated word. It is also the name of the most popular VRMMORPG. Do what you want, be what you want. Your fate is what you make of it. Their is also wealth and power from Fate Online for those willing to take it and fight for it. For the people fighting from the bottom up, they are willing to do almost anything. Even kill or betray. I learned that the hard way, but when a man losses everything, he can do pretty much anything. Note* I do not own the Pic, I did not create it. All credit of the PIC/Art goes to the original creatorNote* Rewrites are coming starting 08-March-2021Note* Chapters will be released on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.Note* This story will contain profanity, violence, cursing, sexual content, offensive language, jokes about fantasy ethnic groups (People that aren't real in other words), etc... So if you are easily offended, perhaps you should not read this story.
8 75Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal (male reader)
Taking place in the near future in a place called Heartland City, the story focuses on Yuma Tsukumo, a young duelist who strives to become the Duel Monsters champion, despite being an amateur. One day, during a duel with a rival named Shark, a mysterious spirit called Astral appears before him, and helps him to win.
8 80A tale of two Night Fury's: Toothless and Shadow
This the story of Shadow and Toothless. Please go check out my other stories for more information on them by clicking on my profile or looking up: Love in the Time of Dragon Riders. Hope you enjoy:DLoveToothlessLover777
8 195