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Hera Kingsley -- Role: Explorer Level: 10

Stats:

Strength: 33 Endurance: 33

Agility: 33 Charisma: 33

Intelligence: 33 Luck: 33

Mana: 1347/1347

Remaining attribute points: 4

Skills:

Passive:

Exponential Growth

Observe

Treasure Map

Handaxe Combat, Chakram Combat, Wire Trap Style, Subtle Strike

Dodge, Run, Improved Stamina, Flee

Mana Recovery

Improved Regeneration

Ailment Mastery

Active:

All in

Inspect

Hide, Sneak Attack

Local Guide

Weapon Maintenance, Weapons Rebalance

Etching

Medical Reference

Role Skills:

Explorer's Assassinate

Explorer's Map

Hunter's Catalogue

Explorer's Hunt

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The team spent ten minutes walking through the plains without seeing or hearing anything out of the ordinary. There was only the sound of the wind and the little sunlight that came through the dark clouds. If this was the regular version of the dungeon, they should have seen a few sheep or at least heard their cries.

"Do you think we have to use the whistle?" Sevaris asked.

"Why? We didn't even look everywhere," Lija replied.

"Yes, but what if this is like the normal dungeon, and we have to wait one hour to find the Sky Ruler's Spawn?"

"Could that happen?" Lija turned to Hera.

"I'm not sure. I mean, it's possible. Each dungeon has its own way of working," Hera replied.

"That is an option, but let's keep it as a last resort for now. We still have yet to perform a proper survey of our surroundings," Naka cut them off.

They kept walking, heading to one area where a large flock of sheep should be. When they got close, odd shrills echoed as a winged figure appeared going up from the ground. It had long arms and a short legs. Although the proportions seemed twisted, it was almost human like but still moved like a monster. That made Hera worried. She expected to face more griffons here, but that creature didn't look like one of them. It seemed closer to a gargoyle, but it had reddish skin, and the only feathers present were on its wings. Everyone ducked down and tried their best to blend with the ground while they watched the monsters.

"What are those things?" Blue whispered.

"Griffons, maybe?" Hera replied.

"They don't look like Sky Ruler Spawns," Lija said.

"Ganek, can you observe them?" Naka asked.

"Can't. Too far."

"We need to get closer, then. Pyrrick, it's better if the humans already have the buffs," Naka said.

The mage activated the spells, and they all moved closer. They saw more of those creatures, one larger and one smaller one, on the ground. They were howling at each other with a sound that almost hid in the wind. Ganek and Hera were trying to see the monster's name with each inch as they moved closer. The creatures were taller than a human, but not by that much. Each should be around 2 to 3 meters tall. As they crawled on the ground, one of the smaller monsters flew up and moved away from the group. With only two monsters remaining, the team moved faster. Fighting against three creatures could be an issue, but against two, Hera and Blue could take one each.

Getting close enough to activate her skill, Hera finally managed to use her [Observe].

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Bloodbeak – Level 8 – 1% (No Affinity)

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Bloodbeak – Level 9 – 1% (No Affinity)

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"Bloodbeak?" Hera mumbled just as the two monsters turned to the group. They roared and started running towards the fresh meat that had just appeared before them.

Not wanting to leave the dwarves in a bad position, Hera and Blue rushed out to meet the creatures. Up close, they were even uglier than expected. Their heads were covered with small horns, their bodies had scales that seemed more like scabs. Their claws had a sickly yellow shade and seemed to ooze out some sort of pus. Their mouths were open, and their long tongues dangled, reaching halfway towards their chest. The Bloodbeaks didn't fly towards the invaders, but they ran using all four limbs. It was a bit clumsy since their arms were about two times the size of their back legs.

Hera didn't wait and sent off a flaming poison rain towards the two monsters. The spell hit the level nine one, but the second monster was protected by its companion's body. The Bloodbeak roared and jumped forward, trying to get away from the fire. Blue rushed to the creature, hitting its elbow, trying to break its arm. In response, it roared and slashed at her, sending pus flying out of its hands. The dwarves jumped back, trying to protect themselves. Lija made a wall appear to block the liquid, but as the discharge hit it, it burned the stone as if acid hit it. On the other side, Hera was slashing the Bloodbeak's arms with her weapons. Each strike made some of the scales fall off, exposing part of its pinkish skin. Underneath it all, the monster looked like it had just rolled around a bed of poison ivy. Its body was leathery and cracked, with some blood spilling from the skin even in places where she had yet to hit. Hera stayed very close to the monster. Things with long arms usually had trouble attacking someone in such a short-range.

Blue grabbed the monster's arm and, with a scream, tossed the creature to the ground. The Bloodbeak went down with a heavy impact. The sound of cracking bone echoed through the plains. Blue tried to slam her fist into the monster's head, but it moved quickly and rushed toward the dwarves, breaking the stone wall with its own body. Naka stepped forward and instinctively attacked with her two-handed sword.

"Shit!" the captain cursed, with her blade already in motion. She knew that this should trigger another barrier, but her weapon was moving too fast for her to stop.

The attack hit the Bloodbeak's left arm and cut it clean in half. Not just that, but the impact also pushed the monster to the side, making it stumble and fall. The dwarves were surprised by the situation. They were supposed to be unable to hit the Sky Rulers. Then again, this monster seemed to be something different, and it looked nothing like the Sky Ruler. Comparing those with the griffons they had seen before was like comparing a dog with a Rhino. Before the creature got back up, Naka stabbed her sword in the Bloodbeak's heart, killing it instantly.

Seeing that the captain could hit the monster, Lija threw a rock bullet towards the one Hera was still fighting. The projectile wasn't that big, but it was long, and it embedded itself in the monster's neck. The Bloodbeak pushed the bullet out with a roar, opening the wound even more, and turned to the dwarves. Hera wouldn't allow it to move away and slammed her handaxe on the fresh-cut, using that area to make slitting the monster's throat easier. It tried to push Hera away, but she was too quick. With a swift movement, her blade opened the creature up, making it fall to the ground.

"You guys can hit those things now?" Hera asked, moving away from the corpse of the creature that she confirmed to be dead.

"It seems like it. I don't know why though," Lija said.

"No longer Sky Ruler," Ganek replied.

"What?" Blue asked.

Ganek turned to Hera, "Look at your catalogue."

Hera quickly activated the skill and pulled up the page about the Bloodbeak.

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Hunter's catalogue

Bloodbeak – Level range – 8-9

Winged monster – No affinity

Bonus effects: 9%

A descendant of the Sky Ruler who gave up most of its griffon traits to survive in a hostile environment. Its skin and body evolved into a natural weapon to ward off predators. Its claws secrete acidic pus that can paralyze its target, and its scales can be shaved off to mitigate the damage caused by impacts. As a secondary defense measure, the Bloodbeak's skin is dry and cracked, giving it a sickly and contagious appearance.

Its long limbs are beneficial when dealing with smaller targets than they are, but its flying capabilities were reduced because of its larger frame. However, this creates a weakness when they fight against a smaller creature. By staying very close to a Bloodbeak, it renders them unable to fight at full strength.

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"So it's no longer a griffon," Hera said.

"Really?" Sevaris asked.

"Humm… I guess it makes sense. Like, griffons have four legs, and these Bloodbeak things seem to have arms and legs instead," Blue said.

"Do you think we can hit the rest, too?" Lija asked.

"That is a possibility, but we must be prudent with the testing," Naka turned back to the bodies, "Why are these bodies not vanishing?"

"I don't know. This is odd. Inside a dungeon, they always vanish," Hera got closer to the monsters and tried to cut them to provoke a reaction, but even as she cut the Bloodbeak apart, there wasn't a single twitch coming from it, proving that it was dead.

"Maybe we should move away. Aren't the things here like, starving? The bodies here might attract them," Blue said.

"That's a good point. Let's back away," Hera started walking back to the middle of the plains with the rest of the team in tow. Even if they were wrong about that, the drops would still be there later, but things could prove very complicated if that didn't happen. They would have to butcher the monsters themselves, and with creatures like those, she had no idea how to do it safely.

After walking for a couple of minutes, a shrill cry came from their left. The third Bloodbeak was running on the ground, and behind it, three different griffons were chasing it through the air. The red monster with large arms seemed to be hurt and wounded, and it repeatedly cried, calling for its friends. The ones flying were much like the griffons Hera knew, but they had a face similar to an exotic bird from the rainforest. Red and white feathers circled their eyes, and the claws were long enough that they couldn't seem to land properly on solid ground.

One griffon made a sound similar to that of a parrot, and half a dozen wind feathers appeared around it. It made a motion with its wings, making the feathers fly towards the Bloodbeak. Three of the projectiles hit, but that didn't stop the lonely creature's sprint. As the monsters moved, they got close enough for Hera to activate her [Observe].

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Wind Ruler – Level 8 – 5% (Wind Affinity)

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Wind Ruler – Level 9 – 5% (Wind Affinity)

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Wind Ruler – Level 8 – 5% (Wind Affinity)

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"These are called rulers, too. Wind Ruler, this time," Hera whispered.

"They should be closer to the Sky Ruler. It's better if we don't attack them," Naka replied.

That minor exchange lasted enough time for the Wind Rulers to finish the Bloodbeak off and start feasting on its body. Seeing that, Hera glanced at Blue, making a motion for her to wait before activating her [Hide] and going back towards the remaining corpses. Naka started following, but Blue stopped her. She might not know what Hera was going to do, but she knew that it was better for her to go alone. Even if the captain joined, it would only make things harder. If the cloud barrier still appeared, the weird effect on the griffons could be even worse than before.

Hera saw the monsters eating the corpse and remembered the first time she saw a black toad in Brinefront. She had just poisoned a frog, and the creature ate it, getting poisoned by the spell still present in the frog. If she could do the same with the bodies, the Wind Rulers might die or at least be seriously damaged before they would actually fight them.

She sent a couple of poison needles towards each of the carcasses and shuffled back to her team. The last thing she needed was to get caught on her own by the Wind Rulers. When she arrived back at the group's location, she noticed a makeshift bunker made of rocks. It should have been something created by Lija.

Another cry came from the right. Four more griffons were flying towards the corpses. They were yellow and brown with heads that reminded Hera of an eagle. They were the closest thing to the regular griffon that she knew of.

She looked back to the new group and used her [Observe] again.

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Talon Ruler – Level 9 - 1% (No affinity)

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Talon Ruler – Level 8 - 1% (No affinity)

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Talon Ruler – Level 5 - 1% (No affinity)

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Talon Ruler – Level 5 - 1% (No affinity)

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Quickly moving towards the bunker, Hera entered by a small hole the mage had left for her.

"There are more griffons here. These are called Talon Rulers," Hera explained.

"Any idea what they can do?" Blue asked.

"I think they can't use spells, but since they still have the Ruler in the name, it's probably a bad thing for you guys to hit," Hera turned to the dwarves.

More sounds came from outside the bunker. The Wind Rulers, who never landed even when eating, started flying towards the rest of the corpses. The cries grew louder and got frantic. Inside the bunker, they all were curious about what was going on. Even if it was dangerous, they could always make another safe space for them to hide. After a quick discussion, the team left the safety of the bunker and headed to the noise.