Chapter 283
A few quick trips on a teleporter later, Kyle finally reached his destination. He found himself atop a large teleportation platform nestled at the border of a large processing plant that overlooked the nearby landscape. Beyond, Kyle saw idyllic rolling hills. Fields of gently swaying grain extended to the horizon, where he could just make out the edge of a thick woodland. A yellow sun shone gently in the cloudless blue sky, its gentle, comforting warmth reminding him of home.
“Hey there, feller. Welcome to Pragmus Four. Now, are you gonna stand around all day, or are you here to lend a hand with our varmint problem?”
Kyle turned to the unawakened goblin, whose dialect translated to a southern drawl. The goblin wore a set of blue denim coveralls, the sleeves rolled up to show surprisingly muscular forearms. A straw hat perched on top of the goblin’s head, with tufts of white hair poking out of its pointed ears.
“I am here to help, yes. I believe my colleague should be arriving shortly. My name’s Kyle.”
“Whoo boy, ain’t you fancy, having ‘colleagues’ and whatnot. You can call me Cletus, by the way. I gotta admit, I expected they’d send somebody with a little more meat on their bones.”
Kyle just stared at the goblin for a moment, struggling to reconcile the goblin’s lack of any sort of reverence with its own weakness. “I’m sorry to disappoint you?” Kyle finally said, the words coming out as a question.
“Oh, you don’t have to apologize for nothin’,” Cletus said. “Just make sure you don’t get squished out there. Them hodags ain’t nothin’ to play around with, they’re tough as can be.”
Kyle blinked. “The what, now?”
Cletus blinked back. “The hodags. Big, nasty critters. Got horns, fangs, you can’t miss ‘em. Unless you’re here to help much the stalls, that’s what you and the other feller are supposed to be handling.”
Cletus shook his head, looking out at the plains. “You know, we done messed up with those things. Figured they was a good way to keep the varmints in the woods at a reasonable level. Brought in a whole bunch of the dad gum things. I don’t think anybody expected that they could even grow up into C Grades. Now, here we are, caught with our trousers ‘round our ankles. Hopefully the other feller is a little tougher than you, no offense.”
Just as Cletus finished speaking, the teleporter flashed, and Arhades stood on it. The velgian was wearing his standard equipment, though this time he also brought along a heavy leather pack. He looked at Cletus and gave a nod. “My name is Arhades, and we have contracted for an opportunity to hunt the C Grades menacing your farming operation.”
Cletus let out a low whistle, looking Arhades up and down. “Now that’s more like it. Yer buddy here could learn a few things from you about how to show up for a fight. Now, follow me. The boss got a map together to show you where we think their nests are, and I whipped together a field guide so that you know what else is out there. Not that it’ll be a problem, mind you.”
Arhades gave Kyle a quick nod, and they followed Cletus off the platform and into a small office, where two copies of the map and a pamphlet waited. The office was austere, and looking around, Kyle realized just how empty the processing plant felt. “Cletus, did everybody else leave when the Hodag threat got too dangerous?”
“They sure as sunshine did!” he exclaimed, a toothy grin on his face. “Got as many of the livestock on shuttles as they could, and floated right on out of here. Probably went to Pragmus Three. Everybody likes Pragmus Three.”
“Is that where you’ll be going after we take care of the Hodags?” Kyle pressed.
“Nope! I’m planning to stay right here. The plant is probably safe enough. I get hazard pay the longer I stay here, so if I do this right, I’m fixin’ to retire by the time you guys are done.” He leaned in conspiratorially, and whispered the next sentence. “You see, them hodags are real big. I seen one once, not the biggest type, but the normal one, and it didn’t even give me a crossways look. I reckon they’re looking to eat big stuff, like the brahmas, rather than a stringy little goblin like me.”
Kyle smiled at the goblin’s explanation, and he sincerely hoped that Cletus’ understanding of the hodags was correct. He also hoped that they would stay far enough away to keep him safe from collateral damage. Remembering the attacks from the C Grades he’d seen so far, there was always danger from being too close. Though from all the reports, these don’t seem to be as dangerous as many others, Kyle reminded himself.
Arhades stepped forward, taking the field guide and the maps. “It appears we have what we need. Tell me, are we to come back here to resupply as needed, or are there other locations we can rest?”
“You fellers are welcome to rest anywhere you want. The other processing plants are on the map as well. We’ve unlocked the teleporters from plant to plant, so getting around shouldn’t be too hard.”
Arhades nodded curtly. “Then we will be off. We will send reports via my liason. Come, Mayhew.”
With that, the velgian strode out of the office.
“It was nice meeting you, Cletus,” Kyle said, turning to follow the velgian.
“Good luck out there! Try not to get squished!” the goblin called after them.
Meeting Arhades outside, Kyle looked up once again at the blue sky.
“Is something bothering you?” Arhades asked, looking at Kyle.
“It just reminds me of home,” Kyle replied.
“A sentiment I can appreciate. You come from a world outside of the Collective, yes?”
The two began a quick run in the direction of the nearest hodag nest, which was just under fifty kilometers away at the edge of the forest.
“I do,” Kyle replied. “Is your home anything like this?”
“Hardly,” Arhades replied. “I grew up under the boughs of the Third World Tree of the Alabaster Court. There was no space for fields like this, just a dense woodland, bathed in the tree’s mana.”
Kyle felt a rush of excitement from C.H.A.D.D. at the mention of the World Tree. They’d heard that the Alabaster Court had several World Trees in their home system, as did the Archdrake Supremacy and the Verdant Republic. Still, any discussion about the specifics was highly classified. If they could learn anything at all from Arhades during their hunt, it could give C.H.A.D.D. the information it needed to eventually plant the seed.
“What was it like, growing up there?” Kyle asked.
“My upbringing was… unique.” Arhades said, refusing to elaborate further. “Now, before we get too close, let us discuss tactics. I am aware that you have healing capabilities, can you heal at a distance?”
“If you’re within a dozen meters or so, yes,” Kyle replied.
“Excellent. I am aware of your resilience; you have built up a reputation for being quite difficult to injure. Offensively, what can you provide?”
“I have some blasts of force I can bring to bear, and I have a skill that can be repurposed to attack enemies within my range directly.”
“I take it that is the death field that people found so noteworthy in Phase Two?”
“Unlike you, Arhades, I don’t know much about what people said behind my back. My information network isn’t nearly that good.”
“You are welcome to pretend that’s the case in my presence, if that makes you feel better about working together.”
“So, you already know plenty about me. What exactly can you do?” There was more heat in Kyle’s question than he intended, but Arhades didn’t seem to care.
“I primarily fight using light-affinity mana and my blade. I specialize in close-range and mid-range combat, though I do have some options for longer-range engagements. My current list of abilities does not bring much in the way of supportive skills, which I hope to change when I reach C Grade.”
Why does he have to be so damn forthcoming, Kyle grumbled internally. The velgian seemed wholly unbothered by Kyle’s snark, which only served to bother Kyle more. A feeling of comfort and caution came through Pack Leader’s Instinct, and he took a deep breath to recenter. This was an exciting opportunity, and Kyle didn’t want to squander it.
“How did it go when you fought your first C Grade?” Kyle asked, turning the topic to something he found more interesting.
“It was a hard-fought victory,” Arhades said. “It was a species of primate, barely evolved, with low defenses. An excellent target for me. Despite the favorable match, I had to retreat for healing twice before I was able to fully put it down. Fortunately, my fight with it allowed me to unlock my final D Grade skill.”
“I take it that means you’re close to C Grade?”
“I am unsure if the hunt here will bring me across the threshold, but if not, I will reach it soon.”
“I’m sure your family has some powerful legacies they’re offering to you. If I can ask, what will your second class be?”
“Let me be clear, Mr. Mayhew. I have no intention of following any of my family’s heritages. I am pursuing a path that is uniquely of my own make. To that end, I will be selecting a Fighter class, in the hope that it produces a powerful variant to match my current Mage class.”
“You’re a Mage?” Kyle asked, failing to hide his surprise. “No offense, you look a lot more like a Fighter with some magic worked in.”
“That was the balance I sought. My first class was a Mage with a focus on the martial. My second class will be a Fighter focused on the arcane. My path is balance in all things, Mr. Mayhew. It is a difficult road, but one I find worthy. And I intend to walk it to the apex.”
The statement made Kyle reassess the velgian, if only for a moment. Carving out one’s own path, even if there were resources to reference, was something to be respected. At least, Kyle felt that way, given he was going to have to do the same.
Before he could ask another question, C.H.A.D.D. flashed a warning sign. Raising his hand, he encouraged Arhades to slow down. “My sensors are picking up its presence. The C Grade is close.”
[APPROXIMATELY THREE KILOMETERS TO THE EAST, DR. MAYHEW.]
At the same time it spoke, C.H.A.D.D. projected a map, indicating the presence of the nest. From the scans, there were four smaller creatures accompanying the largest, which Kyle assumed to be the C Grade.
“This map is impressive, Mr. – excuse me, Dr. Mayhew. Can your AI’s scanners tell the power level for the others?”
[THEY ARE IN EARLY D GRADE.]
“If that is the case, I should be able to take care of them all with my opening attack. Once I draw the C Grade’s attention, I’d like you to run support and begin applying your death field, if possible. I imagine it will not be a clean kill, but I expect it will be beneficial as I whittle away at it. If, at any point, you deem it too dangerous, fall back. I have several items I can use to ensure my safe escape if it becomes necessary.”
Kyle nodded, feeling the anticipation building in his chest. The Igneous Glaivebeak, the Scourge and the Matriarch were all powerful. Each was overwhelming, a presence Kyle struggled to handle. Now, he was ready to face a presence like theirs of his own volition. Despite Arhades’ offer, Kyle knew that there would be no retreat, not today. This was his opportunity to prove that he was ready to take the next step; that he was powerful enough to ascend to the next step.
It was time to hunt a hodag.