Chapter 25 – Hunting Work but with People!
Chapter 25 - Hunting Work but with People!
Ergh… how did this come to this…
The scorpion’s life has been so good these last few days. Got a job at a library with free access to read any book during her breaks. Started actively being an adventurer, which was going to earn her more money to actually buy books—she had been told the library allowed the borrowing and selling of books, so Velasteros had been eyeing her favourites—and all her other essentials.
“Come on, don’t look so down.” Catcher held back a laugh. “You want to be a freelancer, that does mean you are going to be working with others who you may not know. Especially with you being the type of mage you are.”
Catcher's plan for Valmyst was experience, and for her to get that, she needed to be thrown right into the deep end!
Oh wow is me. Wait… Is it wow or woe? Actually, was it… Phew… glad I didn’t say that out loud. That could’ve been embarrassing.
She still wasn’t sure of the word. But she couldn’t be wrong if the words never left her mind. Caution and curiosity were both scribbling on her mental note board to double-check that when she got back. Though she didn’t remember having a mental note board. She figured it must’ve been a new addition.
“I know…” She rolled her eyes. “I just didn’t expect we would be doing this now.”
“Trust me, better now than late. Best get the annoying items off the plate fast, and best case, you find out they aren’t too bad.”
“I shall not believe your words.”
“Hah.” Catcher chuckled and gave Valmyst a large pat on the back, which nearly made her trip.
She frowned and planned revenge.
Entering the guild, there were a few tables of people. It wasn’t advertised as a gathering place, but there were spots for people to do paperwork and wait for people. No food or drink was allowed inside, though, unless in the guild's private rooms, which were only accessible by the dedicated employees.
“This is my team?” Velasteros stared towards the table with a group of three people clearly waiting for someone. Not to mention how Catcher’s eyes conveniently kept looking at the table.
There were two girls with feathers in their hair. Growing from it. Some books called them Feathered-humans, but that wasn't a commonly used term. Honestly, Velasteros tried hard to figure out what to call humans who looked a little different, but most of the time it was just ‘human’. If they were called something else, it was usually as an insult.
One had blue hair while the other was a mix of green, dark blue, and red. They shared dark blue eyes, but their facial features were different enough that the scorpion was sure they weren’t related.
The last one, which didn’t have any extra features, was a dude. Smaller than the girls but with a lot of visible bulk. Even more than Catcher. He did look to be the youngest in the group, but that seemed to have nothing to do with his height, as Velasteros made an assumption due to his beard that he was still in his late teens at the earliest. Brown hair with reddish eyes.
A group, huh… Ergh, hopefully this goes well… and also hope I didn’t read too many stories with parties going bad.
Velasteros had unintentionally been on a little binge of that genre of story.
“Good to see everyone. Let me introduce you to the newest defensive mage in town.” Catcher at least did the honours of introducing her without making her speak. Then it was the trio’s turn.
In order of blue, rainbow, and boy. Catherine, Nusie, and Jacob.
“So is there anything else we have to do?” Catherine asked. A Mage who apparently had mostly water magic skills.
“Nope, we can head out now. I did the paperwork this morning for everyone.”
“Isn’t that not allowed?” Jacob frowned. The swordsmen who apparently used a sword.
“It shouldn’t be.” Nusie’s feathers fluttered. The second swordsman, who, according to her, was better at using a sword than Jacob.
Let’s just get this day over with.
“I had permission. But next time you will be doing it yourselves.” Catcher turned his head to Valmyst.
“Let’s go!” Catcher patted Velasteros on the back as his cheer drained all her energy.
I know this was to be expected, but I do hate that it has happened.
Velasteros had taken up the position of mage (tank) of the party. Standing in the front line, acting as a distraction for monsters. Monsters did learn to move and try to attack the others, so Velasteros had to move and jump in the way, activating her shield in the process.
Catcher was still around in the distance, watching the chaos go on. The revenge was sure going to be sweet in Velasteros’s mind.
The trio were learning to work around Valmyst’s magic. They mentioned they had worked with a tank before, but not another mage. Catherine had always been the only mage of the party. They also quickly learned Velasteros didn’t really fear any of these monsters. They had no idea if it was because of pride or if she was just strange, but the trio used it to her advantage.
Jacob yelled out from behind a rock. He jumped over to deal with the Terrible Rabbit that tried to escape. “Got it!”
He walked around and reunited with the group.
“There is still the large Terrible Rabbit.” Velasteros reminded him of the massive one, the size of her that was trying to gnaw at her shield.
“Step back now,” Catherine spoke out, and Velasteros could feel the magic activate from her. A small surge that was recognisable every time Catherine used her magic skill.
Strange. Do people feel the same feeling when I use my shields, or is it different because it is an element?
Velasteros didn’t complain and, despite her measly [Agility], jumped back, deactivating her shield in the process, causing the rabbit to stumble forward.
The rabbit looked up at its prey before a large blast of water sent it straight into the large rocks of the area. Jacob and Nusie jumped in to execute the rabbit. Completing the job, they gave each a high-five, and Catherine walked over to congratulate them.
The trio clearly had a long history, but didn’t find the need to share that with Velasteros. Which she was quite happy with, but the group as a whole did very little speaking.
Pretty much all the conversations they had were just about the abilities they were willing to share and placement in the team. Velasteros had thought they might’ve asked more, a lot of the books she read as prep indicated to her she could expect a long introduction scene, but they just moved on quickly to begin the job. She liked this approach. Would at least mean that when she worked in future teams, Velasteros knew she didn’t have to worry much about communicating.
I don’t think I’m too bad… Mostly around Catcher and the library staff, I’ve been alright, but talking is a little exhausting. Will more [Intelligence] fix that, or is that just a ‘Me’ thing? Question and topic for later, but good to see we will be going back soon.
Velasteros turned to Catcher, who was standing away. “Is that all for today?”
“Nope. I’ve also booked you three for a gathering quests.” He said casually, which made the scorpion think everything would be good for the rest of the day. She did not expect the gathering quest to take four times as long as the rabbit search and hunt.
Velasteros flopped onto her bed. It was very late.
Ergh… that wasn’t fun, but I guess it was manageable. Since Catcher is right. I will need to be doing this more often. I can imagine the risk of trying to complete missions in my scorpion form, and the staff start asking questions about why a bear's spin is crushed in half… damn these people and their processes.
She examined her status after another successful level-up. She’d delayed it until the end of the trip since she wanted to reward herself in a relaxing environment. It was mentioned in a few books as a better way to enjoy the process.
Name: Velasteros
Species: [Amethyst Jewelled Scorpion] [26/50]
Stats: [3]
[Vitality] - 45
[Strength] - 30
[Endurance] - 24
[Intelligence] - 104
[Wisdom] - 40
[Agility] - 16
Skills: 6/6
[Crush] Lv9
[Barrier] Lv4
[Force Pull] Lv18
[Human Shifting] Lv1
[Eyes Of Crystal] Lv1
[Reinforce] Lv2
Yep, putting all those points into [Intelligence].
Velasteros had debated for a moment whether or not to save points for other stats. [Wisdom], of course, would be the best for her identity as a mage, but the desire for stability and knowledge proved to be stronger. She never wanted to deal with headaches, brain foginess, or a loss of identity ever again.
Still. She was stuck with a little bit of a conundrum. She wanted to focus on [Intelligence] above all else, but was such a choice truly possible?
She learned humans had a level cap of [200] and different types of humans existed, which apparently had some impact on skills, but it was generally considered not to matter. Humans also started out with ten skills and gained more slots at certain levels. Unlike a monster’s race, which determined a lot of abilities, human abilities/skills were more flexible. Usually, getting more of a type already acquired. Selected magic skills? Expect more to appear. Same deal with combat, farming, etc.
Velasteros figured something similar might happen to her, but she already blocked all her skill slots. She had the ability to remove all her current skills with the exception of [Human Shifting] and [Eyes Of Crystal]. Neither had reached the cooldown period apparently of when she could remove them. Not that she wanted to, but there was a feeling of resistance when she thought about the idea.
“Ah… another day done…”
Her mind continued on with that thought. Was she allowed the luxury of continuing to spend points in [Intelligence]?
She was supposed to complete Sarah’s revenge after all.