The evening didn’t bring respite from the heat, but once they were under the cover of the leaning mountains, the heat faded. Sam squeezed the trigger, blasting a large scurrying animal. It exploded, staining the shapeless stone behind it. He swung around, searching for another wild mountain animal to kill, only to find that the others had dispatched the rest. He read the system’s message and sighed, disappointment clouding the excitement he’d been feeling since they started killing minor beasts as they traveled through the dark path.

  [Achievement log]

  ---You have slain a wild stone rat!

  There were no bonus attribute points as there had been before he chose his domain. Perhaps because the monster wasn’t strong or large? He didn’t know, but he had the feeling he’d find out soon. They moved forward. Sam looked up to see open spaces between both mountains, where the top didn’t merge completely. He could see the blank sheet of the night sky through those gaps. They were all silent, not wanting to call monsters that lived in the nooks of the mountain. Zel had mentioned striped snakes, some larger than his whole frame because of the higher density of essence in places like this.

  Overhead, a thousand tiny lights illuminated their path. They were born from three large orbs of moon-white lights Zel brought out immediately after they stepped through the mountain’s opening. Sam had watched with awe as Zel split each orb into a hundred small pieces each. They hung above, twinkling like little stars that followed them as they trudged forward. Sam had asked Lam what the lights were, but he shook his head, hushing him. His Cragdrones floated on either side of his head, giving out low humming sounds.

  “The light affects the ambient essence,” Drill said, lowering himself so he could whisper. “There are many hungry animals like the stone rats, the light keeps them away. There are some monsters the light won’t be enough to keep away, though. So watch out.”

  Sam nodded, following silently. He turned to see Callen walking behind them, silent as death. Sam had seen him annihilate the stone rats with his blades instead of using his rifle. His swings were precise, fast, and effective. Almost on par with Drill who fought as though he swam through the space, moving so fast, Sam had barely been able to keep up with his movement. Zel and Lam had spent most of the battle watching the others and then she’d ordered them to move onward. There was no trace of the woman that taunted Callen.

  Sam checked on the quest he’d gotten immediately after they crossed the mountain’s threshold, trying to see if there was anything he could glean from the information provided. There was not much as usual though.

  [Legacy function initiated…]

  [Legacy advancement system—quest type]

  [You are on the trail of the Krilig]

  Quest type—Elimination!

  Eliminate the mutated wild beast Krilig! (0/1)

  Quest condition—Krilig’s poisonous projectile doubles in effect every ten minutes after encounter.

  Quest reward: random weapon blueprint (uncommon rank)

  He hadn’t been able to confirm that others didn’t have the quest system, but he decided it would be better to keep it to himself. He would need a way to tell them about the poisonous effect doubling though. That was the one thing worrying him. If they knew the conditions of the quest, then they’d know how to protect themselves against it. There was another problem he hadn’t thought about initially. If the monster they were going to hunt couldn’t shoot projectiles, he’d need a shield. Something stronger than the basic armor he had. He’d assumed the sheet of steel had a rune, but his appraisal skill showed him it was just a simple steel sheet. It gave no real protection against real monsters.

  “Salons,” Zel said. Her voice was low but her words drifted back to Sam and Callen. They stopped and Drill moved forward. He tugged Sam to follow. They reached where Zel was standing, her hands folded over her chest. She looked annoyed, but when she spoke there was none of it in her voice. Drill drew his swords.

  “How many?” Drill asked. He saw Zel looked at Sam and grinned. “He needs the experience.”

  Zel nodded, but she didn’t look happy about it. “Four or five. I can’t use my skills too far or I’d call the bigger ones. That will disrupt everything.” Drill nodded and made to move. Zel held Sam back. “Scalons are fast but they die quickly. Your weapon has a six-second cooldown time, so make sure every shot counts.”

  Sam nodded and followed Drill. They approached slowly, trying for quiet as they reached the bulge of the mountain blocking them from the feeding pack. A handful of Zel’s starlight had followed them, but it provided very little illumination. Yet, Sam could see the pack feeding. Their white fur was stained with brown patches in a few places. They were large, but not intimidating—just like large dogs. There was nothing special about them. Or so he thought until one of them stared toward where they crouched to watch and Sam saw the eyes give a multicolored glow.

  “I will attack, you cover me. You should count the six seconds before your every shot, it helps you master your weapon.” Drill gave Sam a moment to digest all that and then he slid out of the cover. His swords were long, pure steel. Sam wanted to appraise it badly, but he knew that would be rude. He stayed a distance away and watched Drill slaughter the Scalons. One twisted away from his swing and Sam’s gun gave out a rattling bang that tore the animal's face before it could attack again.

  [Achievement log]

  ---You have slain a Scalon!

  One, two, three, four…One Scalon tried to snag at Drill’s ankle, but the swordsman was faster. He twisted, his sword making a shallow cut on white fur. The Scalon snarled, its snout filled with devilish fangs. Sam eased his aim and fired, the blast of fire essence tore a hole in the side of its head. The beast fell and Drill charged at the last one, tearing into it quickly before it could leap away. He staggered back to where Sam was cradling his rifle and grinned.

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  “Good shot,” Drill said.

  [Achievement log]

  ---You have slain a Scalon!

  ---+1 PER

  Sam smiled. It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing. Drill went to check what they were feeding on while the others came to join them. Zel ordered them to continue moving. She was worried they’d miss the Krilig if they dallied. The others obeyed wordlessly, except Callen who murmured a curse that made Zel throw him a look of contempt. Drill chuckled, shaking his head pitifully.

  “Pick your battles,” Drill whispered to Callen, leaving him behind before he could respond. Sam kept to himself. He wished he could read some of the parchments Wexi had given him detailing most of the underworking of the craft skill. He was still thinking about that when Drill draped a hand on his shoulder.

  “Where did you learn to shoot like that?” Drill asked. “Not many of the city squads could have done that.”

  “Where I come from, you have to learn to shoot,” Sam said. “The dangers there were very different from the ones here, but they were still potent incentives to learn.”

  Drill nodded, seeming interested. “I think I can understand that. Wherever we have found ourselves, there has been one trouble or the other. People to put down, monsters to tear apart, and thieves who think we were to be trifled with.” He said, lowering his voice even more. Over his shoulder, Sam saw that he could see more of the sky. The gap between the mountains was getting wider, and they were getting to the end of their trail.

  “Once, we killed a large crazy monster and while we went to get paid, a few out-of-towners thought they’d get some of our bronze seeds. Zel cut through the wrist of their leader. She let it hang by a piece of flesh. She said she was being generous.” Drill shook his head, a smile playing on his lips. Sam saw it in his eyes then.

  His face was terribly illuminated but the signs were clear as day. Drill was in love with Zel. He almost laughed. He’d thought what he heard in the man’s voice was deep admiration, but he’d been wrong.

  “We are almost there,” Zel said, her voice carrying less of the heaviness of before. Sam saw the opening. And there was something else too. A small tremor passed through him and his breathing quickened for only a moment. Drill squeezed his arm and slid away to join Zel at the front. Sam focused on that feeling until he recognized what it was—fear.

  They stood on a low cliff lip. From this height, Sam knew they could leap down to the base where a scant spread of trees and low grasses extended into the distance. But Zel led them left, sliding and shuffling down a precariously thin path. This part of the journey was slow, but it was also brief. Sam heard the slosh of water hitting stone before they saw the slow waterfall. It was dark, but the water shone like silver chrome in the night.

  “A lake?” Callen muttered incredulously. Drill snickered, getting a glare from Callen.

  “No, a pond,” Sam corrected, getting a glare too. Sam smiled. Every time he got a look at Callen, the harder it was to shake off his similar facial structure to the Asians of his old world.

  Zel waved for them to be quiet. The pond glowed bright blue. It had no real water source, so Sam wondered how the water settled in that dip. The waterfall was still a few meters ahead, and what was stranger were the flowers spread around the pond. They gave off a dim light, like motes of dust sparkling in light.

  Zel pulled all her tiny lights into one grand orb. It glowed like a mini full moon, illuminating the water. Then she let it fall into the water. Just as it touched the surface, something launched out, spraying them all in slick water. The spray splashed against something invisible in front of Zel. Sam turned to see the monster they had come to hunt. It was easily the size of two large horses. Its limbs were long and strong, its entire body covered in sapphire scales. They glowed, catching and reflecting the light around them.

  Its tail swayed menacingly behind it as it hissed at those who had come to disturb its rest. Sam’s heart hammered in his chest. There was a small moment where he realized he might have just walked into the path of his destruction. This wasn’t a beast they could defeat with weapons like the ones they had. Its scales were probably high on defense. And Sam already knew that it could shoot poisonous projectiles. He still couldn’t figure out how that was going to happen. They needed a high defense of their own, and a lot of firepower that could punch through those scales.

  Sam squeezed his rifle. He felt useless as the others stared down the monster. It moved, its movement slow and measured as it regarded them Zel stood in front.

  “Zel,” Drill called, his face folded in a tight frown. Sam hadn’t even noticed him take out his swords. “How do you want to do this?”

  “I say we run,” Callen said. “It is an older Krilig. Those scales cover up most of its weak spots. I don’t think you will be collecting those seeds you planned on getting.”

  “Shut up,” Zel said. “Lam, are your drones ready?”

  “Yes,” Lam said, all signs of being hammered gone. “The usual, boss? Or do you think it is worth Brien’s stone?”

  “No,” Zel said. “Use your fortune skill for the first hit and we will go from there. I need it soft and ready for the final hit.”

  Lam approached the beast. It still watched them, unsure. Lam stretched his hand up and a golden light formed into a rickety scale. The pan dangled for a bit before they settled. The Krilig howled as the golden light from the scale stretched from Lam toward it. It turned slightly right, lashing its tail out with a force that was both stunning and terrifying. Sam staggered back when it crashed into a wall of thin red. The barrier cracked and shattered. The golden light spread over the Krilig, and its light tilted the scale to one side. Lam chuckled and with a finger on the other pan, he slanted the scale the other way.

  “Take effect,” he said and the Krilig slammed into the ground, shaking the entire mountain. It fought against the force pressing down on it, roaring as it swung its tail violently. The tip of its tail spread as it swung it and Sam realized that was what the system had meant. Sam dove for Callen, knocking him down before a projectile pierced through his armor. Callen stared at him, shocked. Then he pushed him away.

  “The drones,” Zel yelled.

  It took a moment for Lam to bring the drones to rain down blast after blast on the beast. The light from the scales in Lam’s hand dwindled, but while the drones fired, no one attacked. The Krilig whined and roared. Its rage echoed, shaking stones. The ground under Sam trembled as it pushed against the invisible weight holding it down. Flashes of red and orange sparked as the drones fired down on the beast. Its limbs flailed and Sam felt hope when he saw some of its scales shatter.

  The horror began when Lam’s scale shattered, fragmenting until it became motes of light fluttering away in the wind. The force holding the Krilig went with it. The drones’ roar ebbed to a stop, rendering a deafening silence.

  The beast stood up, snarling. Its dragon head bounced as it reoriented itself.

  Its eyes were melted butterscotch with dark slits, the yellow seemed to glow as its wound healed slowly. Sam’s heart sank, but its regeneration had a different effect on Zel.

  “Lam and Outworlder, support!” She barked as she pulled out her sword. It was long, the blade a moon-glow white. Sam felt the power in it press against him like a calm breeze. Confusion, fear, and excitement created a strange mix. And Zel shattered his trance with a roar of her own. It shoved the monster back and she rushed at it, Drill on her heel.

  “Shoot!” Lam called back to Sam, but Zel and Drill were moving like wind-swept sprites, their blade making beautiful impressions in the night. Yes, yes…this is the power I want, Sam thought until he saw Callen looming in front of him.

  “You are weak,” Callen said, his voice loud over the roar of the Krilig. “Don’t be useless too.”

  Sam shoved him away. The key was not just to shoot, but to do it at the right time. He waited, listening to the alternating crack of Lam’s drones.

  And with his first shot, he joined the fray.

  by GeneralPea

  A Survival Fantasy story with LitRPG elements. A smart MC who is calculated yet emotional and a World of War, Monsters, And unknown horrors. With a some romance underneath it all