Ogre Tyrant: Chapter 09 - Above the law - Part Two {Rewrite}

Every few minutes we would hear cries of pain and combat from somewhere out in the forest around us, but we didn’t stop to investigate. Instead, we would alter our course as best as we could approximate to avoid the source of the disturbances and keep hurrying onward.

Making decent time, we stopped for a very short break at the treeline bordering the base of the mountain. With Shady’s animal senses and instincts to give us an early warning of danger, it was not nearly as dangerous as it would have been without him. I was actually very impressed with how the Shadowcat had unerringly steered our group through the forest without requiring prompts or instructions from Tobi.

“It’s about to get much more dangerous,” Tobi said nervously to nobody in particular.

Looking up at the mountain, I could only agree. With only sparse sporadic cover, we would not be able to sneakily avoid encounters nearly so easily. In all likelihood, our escape might very well devolve into a bloody running battle right up until the portal as more and more Orcs and Goblins would be drawn by the sounds of combat and rush to join the fray.

“Tim, do you mind carrying a couple of the heavier packs?” Nadine asked, already shrugging off the bulging pack off her back.

I nodded, handing Nadine the messenger satchel in exchange, “Sure.”

Emelia quietly removed the larger of the two packs she was carrying and handed it to me as well.

I handed my much emptier pack back to her in return as I balanced the two large packs as best I could.

With everyone ready to continue, we left the cover of the forest and quickly made for the foothills.

We didn’t see our first Orc until we were partway up the mountain. There were close to a dozen of them, perhaps more. Near as I could tell, there were two groups fighting over territory, or maybe about who should be the leader. It was tough to say since the Orcs were spending more time and energy trying to kill one another than talking. The brawl was taking place on an open slope, so we could run past them easily enough, but we would definitely be spotted doing so.

“What should we do?” I asked quietly, even though I was quite certain what the answer would be.

“Let’s carve straight through 'em,” Clarice insisted, “We don’t have time to be standing around overcomplicating it.”

Surprisingly, Nadine nodded in agreement, “Let’s just try to hit them hard and fast enough that they can't muster a defence.”

Steeling my resolve for the fight, I clenched my jaw and squared up to charge. With only six Orcs left standing and still embroiled in their conflict, they didn’t see me coming until it was too late.

*Crunch*

My morningstar tore into the side of an Orc’s head, caving in the bone and causing the Orc to crumple lifelessly to the ground. Before the other Orcs had time to react, I swung the morningstar back in the opposite direction, catching another Orc in the back of the neck.

*Thud Crack*

The Orc’s head flopped to one side and its body fell limply to the ground, narrowly avoiding a meaty fist to the face from one of its rivals.

*Chunk*

Before that particular Orc could do much more than blink at me in confusion, his head rolled free of his neck and onto the ground.

Clarice followed up her backhanded swing with her sword by sweeping it into and overhead chop into yet another Orc’s collarbone.

*Crunch*

Surprisingly, Clarice’s sword cut through the collarbone and down into the Orc’s abdomen.

Clarice, the Orc and I just stared at the sword for a moment before the Orc collapsed. I was pretty damned sure Clarice hadn’t been nearly strong enough to do that before.

*Crunch*

Another one of the remaining Orcs was dropped to his knees as Toofy slung a stone into its back and probably broke its ribs.

Tobi slung a stone as well, but it scored only a glancing blow against the otherwise uninjured remaining Orc. However, Shady followed up his master’s attack by leaping onto the Orc, biting down on its collarbone and ripping open its abdomen by raking its hind claws.

The Orc went down screaming, desperately swinging at Shady but missed as the Shadowcat agilely disengaged and tore open the Orc’s inner forearm with a swipe from his paw and hooked claws.

I couldn’t bring myself to attack the two downed Orcs, but Shady and Clarice had no such reservations and dispatched them as a matter of course.

Taking a few moments to let the others catch us up, we reformed our formation and began heading back up the mountain.

“You saw that right?” Clarice asked giddily.

Knowing she was talking about nearly cutting the Orc straight down the middle, I nodded.

“This bonus to momentum is great!” Clarice added, “Definitely worth losing those stats in the short term.”

I was definitely inclined to agree. It was obvious that the bonus to momentum for her attacks was not limited to unarmed attacks or wrestling throws. Obviously, a flat increase in momentum would need to be treated with care so Clarice wouldn’t pull a muscle or worse, but it seemed like a worthwhile trade-off for such a drastic increase in fighting potential.

Continuing the hike up the mountain, our choice in route quickly became restricted to a single path littered with Goblin and Orc bodies. Staying on our guard against a potential ambush, we were not surprised when a growl from Shady informed us of just that.

Three Orcs leapt out from a boulder up ahead, stood there for a moment and then ran.

“Maybe they didn’t want to fight a group as large as ours?” Tobi suggested hopefully.

Nadine frowned, “I think it is more likely that they are running off to gather more Orcs.”

“I don’t think so,” Emelia interjected, shrinking back nervously as everyone turned to look at her for an explanation, “Ah, I mean, didn’t they look super scared the moment they saw Tim?”

Nadine furrowed her brow and thought about it for a moment, “Weren’t the Orcs rather afraid of Tim before the raid as well? When Tim came to our rescue on the plains, the Orcs ran away the moment Tim thinned their numbers a little.”

Clarice nodded, “Hey, actually, now that you mention it, we haven’t seen any of those larger Orcs yet either and it was always those big ones that had a rage-boner for Tim in the first place. I reckon the low-rank Orcs were being bullied into fighting him. I mean, Tim can kill one of them in a single decent hit, so it makes sense to not want to risk an open fight.”

“I think you are right,” Nadine agreed, “But in either case, we should probably hurry. Just because they weren't willing to risk an attack now, doesn't mean they won’t find courage in greater numbers later.”

Redoubling our pace after that short break, it didn’t take long to reach a large open plateau at the top of the mountain. On the far side, sheltered by some ornately carved boulders, was a large shimmering doorway I assumed had to be the portal we were looking for. Unfortunately, there were literally hundreds of Orcs between us and the portal, violently laying into one another with rocks, clubs and even a few primitive stone weapons.

“Bloody hell!” Clarice cursed quietly from our hiding place.

Nadine shot Clarice a scathing look but said nothing.

The only upside I could see in the current situation was that the number of Orcs capable of fighting was dropping off rapidly. Unfortunately, I could also see four particularly large Orcs moving about the melee, seemingly avoiding fighting one another directly while also slinging crude monosyllabic insults.

“We can’t just wait here doing nothing!” Clarice insisted, her sword twitching slightly from her battle lust.

“Well, we can’t fight that many Orcs either!” Nadine countered irritably.

I nodded in agreement with Nadine. If Clarice's earlier theory was right, then we would very likely have to fight every single Orc present until the larger Orcs were killed and the ‘weaker’ Orcs morale was broken.

Then again, what if I challenged the larger Orcs directly? Would that work?

I took another look at the way the larger Orcs were deliberately avoiding one another. They were clearly smart enough to realise that fighting each other would leave them vulnerable to a rival, but they were also obviously trying to goad their rivals into a fight.

“Toofy?” I lifted her onto my shoulders to get a better view, “Do you think you could hit one of the big Orcs with your sling?”

Toofy moved off my shoulders and onto the boulder we were hiding behind, crouching low to reduce her chances of being seen. After a few moments, Toofy looked back at me and nodded, loading a stone into her sling and waiting for the order.

Realising what I intended, Nadine looked surprised and nodded in approval.

Worst case, we would have to fight the Orcs, in the best case, the largest Orcs would kill one another and demoralize all the Orcs that remained.

I locked eyes with Toofy, channelled my inner Palpatine and nodded, “Do it.”

Toofy stood up straight, rapidly swung her sling for a few moments, launched the stone towards the melee and rolled off the boulder and into cover alongside the rest of us.

For a moment, nothing happened. But just as I was about to peek around the corner for another look, a thundering roar echoed over the plateau.

“RAGH! ME KILL YOU!!!” An Orc roared angrily

“YOU DIE!!! ME KILL!!!” Another countered.

Taking a quick peek around the boulder, I saw two of the larger Orcs shoving through the melee to engage one another directly. The Orcs around them moved away to give them space to fight and surprisingly, even the two forces of Orcs not directly involved in the challenge stopped fighting to watch as well.

Wasting no time, the brutes charged one another and began battering away with their clubs and fists. They seemed evenly matched for the most part, but one of them was reacting slightly slower than the other and was favouring their right arm. With only a minor advantage, the victor was in poor condition to face the inevitable challenge of the next large Orc, who in turn was ill-matched against the last large Orc yet to participate.

“ME STRONGEST!!!” The Orc bellowed in triumph, his body littered with bruises.

Gulping hard and stealing my nerve I led the group out from our hiding place, “I CHALLENGE YOU!” I shouted, pointing my morningstar at the large Orc.

The crowd of Orcs turned around and stared at me for a moment and then looked back at the large Orc again.

The large Orc balked, his shoulders sagging as he looked at me with an equally stunned and incredulous expression on his face. It was kind of ironic, given that this Orc had been all too smug when confronted by the same expression from his rival only a few minutes earlier.

Curiously, rather than prepare to fight me, something unexpected happened instead. The Orc bowed his head in surrender, “Me beaten!...” He declared loudly but submissively.

Unsure if I had heard the Orc correctly, I looked to the rest of the group for confirmation and found that they were just as surprised as I was. Turning back to the Orcs, I found that all of the Orcs in the vicinity were behaving similarly and kneeling down with heads pressed to the ground in submission.

“Should we just walk through?” I asked the others quietly.

Nadine shook her head a little, “I think maybe you should try ordering them down the mountain. They could seriously slow down the investigator and his group.”

“You think they will do that?” I asked nervously.

“Yeah I reckon they would,” Clarice interjected, more than a little awed at the spectacle herself.

Nadine nodded, “They clearly recognise you are stronger and you are a fair bit larger too. So now that the only rival you have has surrendered, they will probably do what you say until another Orc challenges you.”

Taking a steadying breath, I turned back to the Orcs again, “L-Leave this place!” I commanded gesturing to the path down the mountain as I led our group up and onto the plateau.

The large Orc Looked up at me along with the others, but then he turned to the portal instead of the path I had indicated and seemed to realize what I intended. Getting to his feet, the large Orc kicked at those nearby and pointed to the path down the mountain, “GO! WE GO!” He roared menacingly.

The smaller Orcs all quickly got to their feet and began hurrying towards the path.

Circling around the rushing Orcs, I kept an eye on the large Orc, who in turn kept a wary eye on me. It was pretty obvious that the Orc had figured out that we intended to leave and that he would be free to seize control of the gathered Orcs once again afterwards.

Approaching the portal, I waited for Nadine to explain what exactly the plan was going forward from here.

“You remember what I told you about the portals?” Nadine asked, somewhat distractedly as she kept her attention on the portal in front of us.

I nodded.

“Well, we aren't going to use the waystones for rather obvious reasons, since showing up in another foothold at this point is rather foolish. Instead, since we have a little bit of time, I want to see if we can get a good entry location close to the next portal on the other side,” Nadine explained distractedly.

Looking at the portal, I could see rolling grassy hills on the other side but not much else. After a minute or so, the image changed and showed a dry and dusty expanse littered with withered shrubs that were oddly reminiscent of the Australian outback you see on postcards for tourists.

After a few minutes, the portal changed again and Nadine immediately perked up. It was the same dusty expanse as before, but now there was a rocky formation in the distance. Unfortunately, there was also a rather sizable horned lizard near the portal’s exit as well. The lizard resembled a very large iguana with filmy drool running down from its mouth.

“Too good to pass up,” Nadine sighed, “Alright! We are going through!” She announced decisively. “There is a large Razortooth on the other side, so watch out!”

Everyone quickly moved into position and looked at me expectantly.

Right, of course, I had to go first...

Readying my morningstar, I braced myself for the worst and stepped through the portal. The sudden change in climate was more than a little disconcerting and took me a moment to adjust. Unfortunately for me, the Razortooth was at no such disadvantage and sprang into motion, quickly running towards me.

Remembering that the others would be coming through right behind me, I couldn’t just dodge and hope for the best. So instead, I shakily ran forward and off to the Razortooth’s right side to draw its attention.

Thankfully, my gamble paid off and the Razortooth halted its own charge to take a vicious snap at my legs. Even though it was only the size of a medium-sized dog, I was in no hurry to see if the Razortooth lived up to its name. I have watched far too many documentaries on venomous lizards and reptiles to risk getting bitten by one if I could help it.

*Thump*

A flying stone smacked the Razortooth in its side and caused it to hiss in pain before quickly scurrying away.

Watching the large reptile run away, I was a little taken aback by how easy that had been. Looking around us, I could see other Razortooths in the distance, mostly just basking in the sun or slowly ambling around. It took a moment, but then I realized why the encounter had been so easy. The Razortooths were most likely at the bottom of the food chain, just as the Vrabbits had been on the first floor.

“We need to hurry and find the cave,” Nadine announced, pointing towards the rocky formation in the distance.

Toofy scrambled up my back and sat down on my shoulder, most likely to get out of reach of the Razortooths. I didn’t blame her and would have insisted Toofy get up out of reach anyway.

Curiously, Shady had slunk back into the centre of the group and did not seem keen on joining me at the front. I suppose that made sense, Shadowcats were probably not very high tier and these Razortooths were as large as he was. Still, I was a little annoyed at being left at the front ‘on my own.

Setting a brisk pace, it was after walking for around an hour that I noticed a problem, well, two problems really. The first problem was that we didn’t seem to get noticeably closer to our destination. The second problem was that there were signs of a larger predator than the Razortooths wandering around and that we hadn’t actually seen laid eyes on it yet.

Stopping at around midday, we were all somewhat demoralised. Constantly trudging across the dusty plains towards the rocky outcropping in the distance without making any notable progress was taking its toll. Tobi at least had been somewhat distracted while we travelled, slinging stones at any Razortooth that drew too close. Now that we were taking a break, Toofy excitedly took up the duty instead.

"The portal to the third floor is further away than I expected,” Nadine sighed and apologised disappointedly.

Emelia said nothing, just smiling somewhat nervously in support.

Tobi shrugged, “We already knew that this was a possibility. At least we can see where we need to go.”

Clarice yawned and stretched, not really seeing a point in contributing to the conversation one way or the other.

“Tobi’s right,” I agreed, “At least-THE HELL IS THAT!” I pointed off to the right of the rock formation ahead of us. A large emu-like bird with a huge vicious-looking beak was racing across the open ground towards us. Easily as tall as myself, the apparently flightless bird was massive.

Terrified that the monstrous bird would snap Toofy up in one bite, I pushed Toofy into Nadine’s arms and charged toward the giant murder bird. This was not the dumbest thing I had ever done, but as I moved farther and farther from the relative safety of the group, I began to recognise my mistake. Without the rest of the group for support, I would be stuck facing this monster on my own and obstructing Toofy and Tobi’s firing lines.

Damnit...

As I swung my morningstar to catch the monstrous bird in the side of the head, it suddenly ducked its thick sinewy neck down and jabbed its beak into my gut.

*Thump*

I was knocked off my feet and tumbled awkwardly to the ground, losing my grip on the morningstar in the process.

The mutant emu immediately followed after me, hissing and screeching as it tried to stab me with its beak again.

Rolling back and forth on the ground, I was actually far more worried about its large powerful talons than its beak. With no opportunity to stand back up again, I balled my fist and slammed it into the side of the bird’s head the next time it tried to jab me in the guts.

*Thump*

The giant bird recoiled and staggered, giving me enough time to scramble to my feet and look for my fallen weapon. Unfortunately, my morningstar was laying beneath the murder bird, so I would have to get dangerously close to its talons to try and retrieve it. Opting instead to snatch up a decent-sized rock off the ground, I hurled it at the bird’s head and even though the rock went widet, I still managed to hit its body with a meaty thump.

Glaring balefully at me, the mutant emu hissed menacingly and stalked towards me again.

*Thwack*

A rock struck the giant bird in the side of the head, stunning it and causing it to fall weakly to the ground.

Seeing a golden opportunity, I turned back to the group, “Emelia! Quick! Try and tame it!” I called out urgently, shifting my attention back to the dizzy-looking murder bird and preparing myself to tackle it if it tried to run away.

After half a minute of tensely waiting for Emelia, I was just about to move in when I saw a new addition to the group status.

[Desert Raptor - HP: 8/30 - Bloodied, Stunned ]

The so-called Desert Raptor looked nothing like the dinosaurs I had grown to associate with the word. However, after remembering the actual meaning of the word raptor, it made perfect sense. I had never seen a bird that so fully embodied the description of ‘bird of prey’.

“I have control of it now,” Emelia said nervously, her tone not quite contradicting, but certainly undermining her words.

“Status,” I glanced down at the group synergies and saw an interesting new pair of additions to the list.

{Concussive Force: 0 } {Hardy: 0 }

“Emelia? What does Concussive Force and Hardy do?” I asked curiously.

Emelia didn’t reply right away, but a short while later she shared the Desert Raptor’s status with me instead.

[Desert Raptor - Desert Raptor Runt: 3 ] [HP: 30/30] [MP: 12/12 ]

[Emelia’s Slave*] [Class: ??? ] [Exp: 0/0 ]

[Strength: 15* ]

[Agility: 11 ]

[Toughness: 15* ]

[Intelligence: 2 ]

[Willpower: 2 ]

[Presence: 1 ]

[(Racial Ability: Concussive Force {Rank 2}): Increases chance to inflict {Stunned} Condition with {Blunt} attacks. {Strength} increases duration of effect.]

[(Racial Ability: Hardy {Rank 2}): Reduces the need for food and water. {Toughness} increases resistance to environmental extremes in temperature.]

Given our current situation, the Hardy synergy was probably going to make a fair bit of a difference. There was no telling how long it was going to take us to get to the cave and I had not seen any water so far, so it was a pretty big deal. I wondered if the Razortooths had a similar ability. I would have assumed that they had to, or else water was more plentiful than I had assumed it to be. Although, that was of course assuming the Labyrinth even cared whether its monsters could survive more than a few days at a time before being replaced by new monsters.

Likely having checked the group status themselves, the others cautiously made their way over to get a closer look.

“Bloody hell...” Clarice cursed, walking around the giant stunned bird and thoroughly looking it over, “This thing is huge!”

“I thought it looked plenty big from back over there, but...wow...” Tobi agreed, wincing slightly as he got a closer look at its talons.

“You reckon we could ride it?” Clarice asked excitedly.

Tobi balked somewhat, “Ah, we don’t really have a saddle or anything...”

“Right...” Clarice agreed glumly, misinterpreting Tobi’s reluctance for disappointment.

“Well...” I scratched at my head thoughtfully for a moment, immediately earning Clarice’s intense interest.

“What?!” Clarice demanded eagerly.

“Well, I was just thinking that we might be able to make one. I mean, the Desert Raptor is already tamed, right? So we could probably just fold over a bedroll to cushion the back a little and just make some rope stirrups and reins to keep your balance if you don't want to hold on with your legs....what?”

Nadine was just staring blankly at me like she had no idea what I was talking about.

Clarice similarly didn’t seem to understand what I said, but was plenty excited, “So you can make a saddle right?!” She insisted excitedly.

“I could try...” I agreed apprehensively. As silly as the idea was, at the very least we would probably have the Desert Raptor carry some of the group's supplies like a pack mule.

With Emelia giving the Desert Raptor firm commands to stay still while I worked, I was still more than a little on edge whenever I had to work around its beak or talons. Which was pretty much the whole time.

In the end, I settled for sacrificing my apron to provide a base layer beneath the bedroll to provide a more durable foundation before securing each layer with more rope and fashioning crude stirrups from the looped rope. The replacement for bit and bridle was trickier since I couldn't actually put anything in the Desert Raptor’s beak without it being damaged. In the end, I settled for just anchoring a rope around the base of the Desert Raptor’s neck. Whoever was trying to ride it probably wouldn’t be able to steer very well, but at least they would have some crude reins to hold onto.

*****

Sitting on the back of the giant bird, Clarice could hardly contain her excitement, “Up,” she commanded eagerly.

The Desert Raptor looked back at Clarice with one of its beady eyes and promptly stood itself up, shaking a little to dislodge the dust and sand from its lower feathers.

Even though Clarice had no real comparisons with which to fairly judge Tim’s workmanship, she was still incredibly impressed with how easily she was able to keep her balance. “Let’s go forward,” Clarice murmured excitedly, flicking the rope reins.

The Desert Raptor began gingerly walking forwards, occasionally turning its head to look at her before twitchily glancing around at the surrounding scrubland.

“A little faster,” Clarice flicked the rains again.

The Desert Raptor broke into a smooth trot.

Clarice pulled the reins to the right and leaned her weight onto the right stirrup experimentally and was ecstatic when the Desert Raptor obediently began turning to the right. Directing the Desert Raptor back to the group, Clarice pulled back on the reins to call the Desert Raptor to a halt a few paces away from Tim.

“Everything is working alright?” Tim asked anxiously.

Again, Clarice lacked any real experience to truly judge the effectiveness of the saddle in any professional terms, but she nodded vigorously, “It’s amazing! How did you even know how to make a saddle anyway?”

Tim shifted uncomfortably and shrugged, “I just sort of eyeballed it and adjusted it as I went. I think it’s the commands that really make the difference though,” he insisted, “Emelia’s taming Ability is really overpowered when you think about it. I mean, she could tame another one of these if we managed to find one.”

Clarice nodded excitedly, “We should totally try and find another one!” She insisted.

Tim appeared to think about it for a few moments but eventually nodded, “If we can get the four of you all riding a pair of Desert Raptors, we could probably make pretty good time moving forward, especially with that Hardy Ability Synergy.” Tim gave the Desert Raptor another appraising look, “But I think we should probably work on getting that one healed up first.”

Seeing where this was going, Clarice grinned, “I’ll take it for a quick combat test!” She announced eagerly and flicked the reins before Tim or anyone else could say anything to the contrary.

“Be careful!” Nadine called out in a surprisingly supportive tone.

Flicking the reins a couple more times to bring the Desert Raptor up to what Clarice considered to be a reasonable speed, they were soon racing across the scrubland and spotted their first target, “Kill!” Clarice commanded, pointing to the Razortooth ahead and to the left.

The Desert Raptor turned its head to the side to look at what she was pointing at and screeched excitedly as it broke into a sprint.

Glad for the reins and stirrups, Clarice managed to stop herself from being thrown by the sudden burst in speed. It was a totally different experience to before and Clarice almost felt like she was flying.

Contrary to Clarice’s expectations, the Desert Raptor overran its prey and smacked it hard with its beak as it passed. The Razortooth was barrelled over like it was nothing and struggled to right itself.

However, the Desert Raptor quickly returned and bludgeoned it with the tip of its large beak, resulting in an audible crunch as it broke bones from the force of impact. Knocking the twitching body of the Razortooth a few times to be sure it was down for the count, the Desert Raptor planted one talon on the body, leaned down and tore off its head.

Swallowing the head whole, the Desert Raptor thoroughly crushed the Razortooth’s body into the ground under its weight before removing its talon and revealing that it had managed to snap off the dorsal spines running down its back. A few seconds later the Desert Raptor had swallowed the body of the Razortooth down whole.

Thoroughly impressed by the raw power of the Desert Raptor, Clarice was convinced that Emelia had to give it a name. After all, Clarice was still convinced that the main reason the bloodhunters had died was because Emelia hadn’t named them.

However, that raised the question, what did you call an eight-foot tall murder bird?

*****

“You can't call it that!” Clarice insisted adamantly.

Emelia shrunk away but shook her head in disagreement, “Tim caught it so I am fine with him choosing,” she insisted.

I shrugged, “And I told Toofy she could pick the name,” accepting no responsibility for the Desert Raptor’s new name.

Clarice slumped in defeat, “How am I meant to ride into battle astride a mighty war-mount named Beaky?...” She lamented.

“Beaky good bird,” Toofy insisted incredulously, patting the Desert Raptor’s head as it leaned closer. She had established an early rapport by feeding it some food shortly after Clarice returned.

Since Emelia and Tobi were not benefitting from the Synergies, Nadine and I silently agreed that it would probably be best if the both of them rode Beaky for the time being. This meant that one of them would need to hold the other around the waist to stop themself from falling off, but it was a small sacrifice Nadine and I were prepared for them to make.

To Clarice’s immense disappointment, we did not find another Desert Raptor before the sun began to set and we had to make camp for the night. Tobi and Clarice took first watch and the rest of us hunkered down for the night. Considering that I hadn’t slept for almost two days I honestly hadn’t felt as tired as I would have expected.

Although the others had tried to be considerate, I still woke up shortly before sunrise. Stretching and patting myself down to dislodge some of the dust and sand, I made a point of taking in our current surroundings. All told, there really wasn't much to see. Small piles of rocks, withered shrubs and rolling dried earth and sand for as far as I could see. The only visible landmark was the rocky outcropping we were headed for.

Using the distance we had travelled yesterday as a baseline, I guessed that it would take us at least four more days of solid walking to reach it. Perhaps a little less if we could capture and tame another Desert Raptor or find some trees to make a sled or something.

Nadine and Emelia had taken the last watch and were still noticeably tired, so I insisted that they get at least an hour of sleep before we set out again. With Beaky, Shady and Toofy now awake to help me keep an eye out, there shouldn’t be any problems.

Toofy seemed to have figured out the knack for taking care of the animals, namely giving them food. The biggest problem Toofy had when feeding them was knowing when to stop.

“That’s enough Toofy,” I chided her warmly as she moved to retrieve another sausage from the pack.

“Kay,” Toofy agreed somewhat dejectedly.

Shady and Beaky looked at me with expressions of betrayal in their eyes.

“You can give them head pats though,” I reminded Toofy by tousling her hair, dislodging a decent amount of sand.

Toofy grinned excitedly and scrambled after Shady who had seemed to realise what was happening a few moments too late to get a head start.

“Good kitty,” Toofy cooed, playing with the indignant Shady’s ears. Beaky, who seemed left out, began receiving head scratches through its feathers after ‘playfully’ nudging Toofy and nearly bowling her over.

Watching Toofy play, I wondered what the unlocking requirements were for Emelia’s Monster Tamer Class. I regretted having convinced her to go to sleep, but I suppose I can just ask her later.

Gathering some stones and borrowing Tobi’s sling, I began experimenting with how to use it. Toofy and Tobi had made it look incredibly easy, just spin and release, so I figured that if I could get halfway decent at it that it would be a net gain for the group.

Unfortunately, after an hour of trial and error, I was still woefully inaccurate. I hadn’t even managed to hit the bush I was aiming at even once. To my immense disappointment, I found I was actually much more accurate just throwing the stones by hand and could reliably hit the bush seven times out of ten attempts.

I just assumed that there was something I wasn’t getting about sling-throwing, so I would ask Tobi about it later.

“I think you just need to practice,” Tobi said unhelpfully after watching me sling a few stones towards the bush. “I mean, on some throws you are releasing too early and on others too late. Because the sling amplifies your throwing force, when you miss, it’s causing you to miss badly. As for your aim, that should get better with practice too.”

I sighed and nodded, not really sure what I had been expected. It was unrealistic for there to be a single thing I was doing ‘wrong’ that would immediately be correctable and make me a sharpshooting marksman.

Tobi was nice enough to make me a sling of my own from some of our rope. He said it would better suit me because of my size and I could see that it was a fair bit larger than the one he was using. Of course, the most significant difference this would make was the size of the stones I would need to practice with as well.

Once everyone had eaten their breakfast, it was agreed that Toofy would ride with Emelia on Beaky, so I could get some practice with my sling and Tobi could play safety, deterring anything that took insult at the clouds of dust and sand I was kicking up in their vicinity.

Rather unexpectedly, Tobi didn’t have to intervene nearly as often as I had expected. It turned out that fist-sized rocks smacking into the ground in their general vicinity was enough to convince most Razortooths to quickly lose interest. I still hadn’t hit one by the time it was midday, but Tobi only had to intervene once out of the couple dozen incidents, so that was something at least.

“I still don’t see why you are bothering with it,” Clarice commented while lounging against Beaky, “I mean, you can probably just kill one of those lizards in a single hit with your morningstar anyway.”

“I guess,” I admitted. The real reason I wanted to become at least reliably proficient was to try and deal with potential threats BEFORE they were right up in my face. The scars on my right leg were proof that I desperately needed some real fighting skills and a more versatile toolkit for approaching combat. The root of the problem was that close-quarters combat still terrified me. Everything was capable of going pear-shaped in a matter of seconds and I just didn’t have the experience necessary to judge the situations objectively and respond effectively.

“No, I think Tim has the right idea,” Nadine interjected, “It would probably be a good idea for all of us to get some practice. After all, flying monsters begin to appear on the third floor in this Labyrinth.”

“Really?” Clarice sounded a little worried.

Nadine nodded, “Nothing too dangerous, but it is still a good idea to start practising now while we have the opportunity.”

“Wish I still had my bow,” Tobi sighed dejectedly.

I vaguely recalled that he had lost it in the forest while we were fleeing the Goblin ambush. “You couldn’t afford a new one?” I guessed, judging by Tobi’s tone.

Tobi nodded, “Bows made from Labyrinth materials are pretty expensive and I just didn’t have the savings for it.”

“And since the Guild-” Clarice pointedly spat into the dirt, “-delayed payment while the ‘investigation’ was happening, none of us got compensated before leaving!” She growled angrily.

Emelia nodded dejectedly in agreement.

“Not that we blame you for this Tim,” Nadine added hurriedly.

“Yeah, it’s the Guild being a bunch of bastards!” Clarice agreed angrily.

I nodded but still felt responsible. Jacque had told me that I was standing out too much and making myself a target, and I knew she was right. I hadn’t made much of an effort to hide that I was different and before learning of the Awakened and now experiencing firsthand the repercussions, I hadn’t understood why pretending was necessary. Arguably, my treatment would have been far worse if I hadn’t behaved irregularly, but who was to say just how far-reaching the consequences would be. For now, it is an adventurers Guild branch manager, but there was the distinct possibility of it escalating further, and I really wasn’t looking forward to finding out.

Tobi made slings for everyone in the group and it was decided that we would all take turns practising against the Razortooths. With so many of us taking potshots, it wasn't really surprising that we started killing the Razortooths rather than just driving them off. What was surprising that honestly shouldn’t have been in hindsight, was the amount of EXP the Razortooths were awarding upon being killed.

Each Razortooth was worth as much EXP as a similarly ranked Orc from the first floor. So assumedly, the Razortooths were tier one monsters and the bottom of the food chain, at least in this section of the floor. Who knows what monsters there are in the grassland that was presumably somewhere out there beyond the horizon.

Remembering my question from earlier I took a break from sling-throwing practice and began walking alongside Emelia, Toofy and Beaky. “Emelia? What sort of training did you have to do to become a Monster Tamer?” I asked curiously.

Emelia stiffened and gnawed at her lip nervously, “Um, ah, I can’t tell you,” she replied nervously,

“What do you mean?” I asked a little put out by her flat-out refusal.

“Ah, I mean, I literally can’t!” Emelia insisted, “They made us swear a special oath and everything!”

“Special oath?” This is the first I was hearing of anything like this.

“Emelia is right,” Nadine chimed in, apparently having overheard the conversation, “All prospective adventurers have to swear a magically binding oath not to reveal the Class training methods of the Guild.”

“Oh...” Now things were starting to make sense.

Continuing walking for a while and not really thinking about it all that much, a thought suddenly occurred to me.

Was the Guild branch manager after me because he suspected I was the one who taught Nadine her field surgeon class?

The more I thought about it, the more convinced I became that it was true. I didn’t blame Nadine for doing her best to make the most of her newfound healing Abilities, but it was pretty obvious now that it was the primary motivator for this current escalation. Assuming the Surgeons Guild had a similar oath to secrecy for its members as the adventurers Guild, that made my ability to teach those Classes incredibly valuable. This all just made what Jacque had said doubly true, I had brought this on myself.

Judging by the somewhat guilty look on Nadine’s face, I guessed that she was thinking along similar trains of thought. ‘Sorry Tim,” she apologised, “I probably could have been more discreet about it...”

I shook my head and sighed, “it doesn't matter now, what’s done is done. Besides, this might all be for the best, who knows?”

Nadine looked relieved and nodded, “The third floor should be a good chance for us to make some real coin, improve our equipment and level up,” she added optimistically.

“You think we will really be able to take refuge with a monster Settlement?” I asked nervously.

Nadine hesitated, but nodded, “I think so. Rose and Kirk both seem to think it will work and they should know, being retired adventurers themselves.”

That piqued my curiosity a little. Despite being a staple of most RPG’s and fantasy settings, I didn’t really get a battle-hardened vibe from either of them until the raid on the town. “Do you know their Classes and levels?” I asked curiously.

Nadine shrugged uncertainly, “They have to be at least level five or the Guild wouldn’t let them run the inn. But the innkeeper in the third floor’s foothold used to be their party member and he has to be at least level fifteen, so they are probably at least level ten?” She guessed with another shrug.

“The Guild has a minimum level requirement for innkeepers?” I asked somewhat incredulously. I mean it kind of makes sense, given the danger and the fact that they were expected to keep adventurers in line.

Nadine nodded, “The standard rule is at least five levels per floor of the Labyrinth and more favourable rates for being higher than the minimum. I think it's similar for the managers too,” she remarked as an afterthought with a sour expression.

Now that was important information. “So the manager on the third floor is at least a level fifteen Slaver?” I asked pointedly.

“Yes, or at least an equivocal Class, although I haven’t heard of any Classes that would be considered interchangeable with the Slaver,” Nadine admitted thoughtfully.

“So how much stronger do adventurers get as they level anyway?” I asked curiously. It had been something that was bothering me for a while now. If an adventurer's stat progression continued at the rate I was witnessing thus far, then it seemed quite bizarre that adventurers would continue struggling much against monsters deeper in the Labyrinths.

Nadine smiled and nodded in understanding, “Not very,” she admitted glibly, “Class progression is similar to the tier progression of monsters. After level five, you only get additional stats every fifth level. But you do get one additional maximum mana per level as well, which is pretty important since you need mana for using magic items and using some special class abilities.”

I hadn't expected that. “So how does the increased mana work regarding monster tier progression? I asked warily.

“That is counted separately, like your base stats and class bonuses. Or at least that is what I have heard anyway,” Nadine shrugged.

So if Nadine was right, I would eventually be able to Shadow Step? That seemed kind of cool.

Recalling how much EXP I would need to make that happen quickly put an end to my wishful thinking though. Besides I just realised something very troubling indeed, Toofy had access to that Ability Synergy as well, and she would soon have mana to be able to use it. The thoughts of what kind of mischief she could get into with near impunity were very nearly enough to give me a stress migraine on the spot.

As if on cue, a familiar-looking dust cloud was hurtling towards us on the dusty plain.

“Dibs!” Shouted Clarice, racing off towards the approaching Desert Raptor with open arms and a manic expression of determination plastered on her face. Holding no weapon, it was obvious that Clarice intended to try and subdue the murder bird with her bare hands.

Damnit...

I dropped my sling and raced after Clarice. So far as I knew, Clarice had no real idea what the Desert Raptor’s Racial Abilities were, let alone its stats. She wasn’t even wearing her damn helmet because of the heat. Now lamenting having captured the first one, hoped that at least this Desert Raptor would be smaller and easier to knock out...

It wasn’t. The rapidly approaching Desert Raptor was noticeably larger than Beaky and appeared to be far more vicious with darker plumage and a myriad of scars littering its face and legs.

Damnit...

Snatching up a large rock from off the ground, I slowed and hurled it at the Desert Raptor in an attempt to hit it somewhere around its centre mass. I would have missed if the Desert Raptor hadn’t tried to dodge and accidentally facilitated a glancing blow.

Fortunately for Clarice, the Desert Raptor now changed targets, shrieking angrily from the pain. Unfortunately for me, the Desert Raptor was now targeting me instead.

Clarice leapt at the Desert Raptor in a flying tackle but missed, tumbling into the dirt.

Picking up another rock, I had just enough time for one last throw before the Desert Raptor would be in range to batter me with its beak or start raking me with its talons. Or at least that is what I had thought as I reached down to pick up the rock. Quickly looking up again, I was very nearly face to beak with the Desert Raptor. Desperately stumbling to the side, the rock slipped from my hand as I flailed my arms trying to keep my balance.

*Thwap*

The Desert Raptor staggered as I accidentally smacked the side of its head. I hadn’t hit it very hard, so the Desert Raptor quickly shook it off and hissed at me angrily as it stalked towards me.

Pulling my morning star from my belt, I warily paced to the side of the Desert Raptor to try and give myself as much room as possible to swing or dodge.

Just as the Desert Raptor and I prepared to attack, a rock smacked into the back of the Desert Raptor’s head.

*Crack*

The rock broke into pieces and the Desert Raptor collapsed, twitching and keening as blood began welling behind its head and soaking into the sand.

“GOT IT!” Clarice roared in triumph, “EMELIA! Get over here and tame it already!” She demanded.

“I think you overdid it,” I stated bluntly, pointing to the nasty wound on the back of the Desert Raptors head.

“Oh, shit...” Clarice cursed, “You better come too, Nadine!” She shouted insistently.

Emelia arrived a couple of seconds later and within moments the dying Desert Raptor’s information was added to the group status.

[Desert Raptor - HP: -7/32 - Bloodied, Stunned ]

Confident that the Desert Raptor now wouldn’t bite my hand off, I wadded a bunch of the small cloths that had been used to wrap our food and pressed them against the large gash in the back of the bird's head. Thankfully, near as I could tell, the skull was still intact.

Nadine reached up a few moments later. “What should I do?” She asked, pulling out her own small medical kit.

“Could you try just healing the wound as it is now?” I asked, “This will be a good test to see what the limits of the Ability are.”

Nadine nodded and pressed her hand against the bloodied cloth. Within moments, the wadded mass of cloth began glowing and slowly disintegrating until it disappeared entirely.

[Nadine has healed a {Moderate Wound} +100 Exp]

The gash in the back of the Desert Raptor’s head had closed significantly compared to before and was no longer bleeding. Seeing that the Desert Raptor was back into positive values of HP I didn’t think we should use any of our limited medical supplies just yet. “I think we should try and heal the rest of the Desert Raptor’s missing HP with food,” I suggested.

“You mean Thunder,” Clarice interjected.

“Huh?” I looked over and saw Clarice with her arms crossed and a smug expression on her face, “His name is Thunder.”

“Thunder?” I asked warily, although I was quite certain of why.

“Because he has black and grey feathers and it sounds badass!” Clarice replied matter of factly.

I just stared blankly at Clarice until she broke eye contact. Beaky was unacceptable? But Thunder was okay?

I rolled my eyes and sighed exasperatedly. Granted, I couldn’t exactly think of a better name myself, but I wasn’t the one openly criticizing other people's choices.

Although...

I glanced at the Desert Raptor’s heavily muscled legs and smirked as I realised the fun I could have with a particular nickname.

All will quake in terror at the mere sight of Clarice and her ferocious steed, Thunder Thighs!