Chapter 139: Bears, Boars, and Fursnakes
Gristle was so happy with his new foot. He could wiggle his toes! The healer had insisted that he sit back and relax for a few hours and not walk on it, but really, it already felt better. And it looked better! The rest of his skin was a dark red, seamed with old scars and still recovering from his emergency wake up. But the newly healed foot was pink and smooth. Maybe he should break the other foot?
The adventurers had left him here in a comfortable spot with a cool drink and several tasty muffins. He hadn't eaten anything except meat in ages. The muffins were a glorious change. He decided to take their advice and relax while they straightened things up a bit.
"What do you think, Ben?" Ozzy was staring at the walls of piled stone that comprised a building that was barely standing.
Ben shook his head, "Can't fix something that broken. I say we tear down the walls and rebuild it. We have an abundance of ruins around and no lack of better stone. I'd like to lift the roof though, to save work. The trusses are intact and braced on those two long beams. If we lift the four corners, we can clear out the old walls, rebuild the corners, and set the roof back." He scanned the ruined buildings around him. "It would be even better if we had pillars to use on the corners."
Ozzy looked over at Runt, who was enjoying himself by doing nothing at all, "Hey, Runt, are there any nearby buildings that used to have stone columns? Or does the stockyard have any good wood we could use?"
Runt thought for a second, "Just my advice, but don't take anything from the stockyard. If you take apart a pen, even an empty one, it might fill up later and we'd have critters running all over. But there was a temple over that way. It was at the edge of one of the big hunting preserves that became the Beastwoods. It was mostly made of big white pillars."
Suzette came out of the guild hall with an armful of cleavers, chains, and old knives. She dumped them into a pile on the ground, "I like the idea of tearing the thing down. Ben and I can clean out anything worth keeping. You four can run over to the ruin and drag back some pillars."
She paused for a moment, "And I have a cantrip I think would help. I thought it was useless at first, but maybe not. Take a look."
Consecration of Stone
Bless the foundations of a building, shrine, or fortification. The blessing will extend to the entire structure. Cost will increase with increased building size. Other conditions may apply. Will not work on the foundations of fast-food restaurants, office buildings, or other godless constructions.
Ozzy was unsure about its use, "Seems like you're invoking a god for a blessing? Careful with that."
Suzette grinned, "I've got a pretty cool god I can use. Not worried about it."
Ozzy nodded. From what he'd seen, Hermes seemed pretty benign. But he was still puzzled about what the gods were, and how much they controlled this world. He put it out of his mind. A problem for another day.
Ben had a question for her. “Does any god work? Or is Hermes a god of butchers along with his other stuff?”
Suzette pondered that for a moment. “I’m not really sure about that. Ozzy, is there a god of butchers?”
“Sort of. Artemis can be considered one. She’s normally associated with hunters and nature but it got a little fuzzy when it came to the people who dressed the game as offerings. She picked up a lot of followers who were skinners, butchers, and leather workers.”
Suzette turned to Runt. “Do you know who the ruined shrine was dedicated to?”
Runt thought for a moment. “Probably a goddess instead of a god. Lots of carvings of a woman with a bow and a hunting dog.”
"Sounds like her. Hope she doesn’t mind an old building getting recycled. Time to go drag some stone back, rebuild this mess, and dedicate it to her."
It was a short walk through the ruins to the beginnings of the Beastwood. Everyone in the group had night vision, making the landscape seem almost pretty in the light of the moon. The trees were spaced far apart with little undergrowth. Their bark was thick and fuzzy with moss. Ben noticed that while there were a lot of oak, cypress, and ash he saw none of the trees common in the druid’s grove. Every once in a while, they heard the sounds of something moving through the ruins, but nothing attacked.
Runt was very cautious at first, then moved quicker, "I don't think everything is awake yet. This place used to be a lot more dangerous."
The shrine was just a hundred feet into the woods. Once it had been an ornate building of white marble columns and granite blocks. Many of the blocks were carved with scenes of hunters battling beasts and monsters. But over and over, the most prevalent pictures were of a goddess out hunting with dogs and bears attending her.
The decorations on the top of the marble columns showed the remains of gold leaf. Rolly picked up what seemed to have been large, hanging incense burner. It crumbled in his hands scattering ashes to the ground. The marble columns were mostly intact. Ozzy hefted one easily, "These aren't too bad. I can carry them and maybe you two can get one as well?"
Runt picked up a column onto his shoulder, "I don't need help."
Rolly could barely shift one by himself, or with Squirmie’s help, "The two of us will guard you on the way back."
Before they could leave, a ghostly voice cried out. "You dare to defile the Shrine of the Goddess of the Hunt?! "
Leaves, dust, and ashes from the broken incense burner swirled in a wind storm before taking the form of a tall man dressed in only a fur loin cloth and boots. Antlers sprouted from his head and his body was adorned with tattoos and ritual scarring. A flint spear was held in one hand, and a hunting horn in the other.
Runt tossed his pillar back into the rubble. "Or maybe we'll just leave these here? No offense intended". Ozzy also dropped his but suspected that wasn't going to be enough.
"The pillars of this shrine will stay here, along with your bones!" The ghost gestured and a ring of blue fire surrounded them, "The choice is yours: Accept my challenge and prove your worth, or cross the fire and die a coward's death." He raised his horn to his lips and blew three clear notes that were answered by roars and grunts from the forest.
"Not much of a choice. Challenge accepted, be ready Squirmie!" Rolly's skin changed first to a black chitin, and then further into what looked like an ornate set of black armor. From his forearms grew two long, curved scimitars. Whether he was holding them by the pommel, or they were attached to his arms was unclear. Squirmie's legs grew long talons and he hovered high in the air.
Ozzy summoned his Ancient Billhook and commented on Rolly's new look, "That's new. I like it. Much more 'adventurer' than 'freak of nature'."
Rolly acknowledged the half compliment with a bow, "Squirmie and I are working on some new looks. They come in handy."
Runt looked from the huge, glowing polearm to the dark knight and murderous bug, "Smart asses, all of you. What the hell did I sign up for? I could be scrubbing out a blood-soaked dungeon with an old rag now, you know. I'm sure there was nothing about this shit in that contract."
Into the clearing came three huge beasts. Rolly was attacked by a furred viper. The huge snake was the size of an anaconda. Its entire body was covered in a mottled fur that would normally make it invisible as it moved through the forest. Its fangs oozed a venom that smoked as it hit the forest floor.
Runt was charged by giant Erymanthian boar. Three tusks sprouted from either side of its foaming snout. Its eyes were red with madness. It grunted and charged at Runt, who stood swinging his cane.
Ozzy didn't have time to worry about his companions as he was charged by a huge Golden Bear that made a grizzly look like a cub. The bear was coming fast, and he placed the butt end of the pole arm on the ground and braced for impact. To his surprise, the bear suddenly stood on its hind legs and batted aside the billhook with a huge paw. With the annoying sharp-thing out of the way, it dropped to all fours again, and bowled Ozzy over.
The astonished butcher hit the ground on his back, with a mound of golden fur above him. He couldn't roll out of the way, trapped as he was between the two front legs. With no other weapons, he jabbed his fists at the bears face to keep it from biting him. The first two punches the bear ignored, snorting its contempt. The next few hurt more as Ozzy began to roll back and forth, getting in harder jabs. After a particularly painful punch to the bear's snout, it reared back away from him. Hoping to get free, Ozzy tried to stand, only to have a huge paw smack him in the head, followed by two more fast hits, the last one stunning him. A few seconds later he came to, and realized the bear had just been batting him with its paws. If the claws had been out, he doubted he'd still have a face.
The great bear was standing three foot away from him, just waiting. It nodded as if to say, "You done with that nap yet? Ready to quit slapping each other and fight like grown bears?"
As he gathered his senses, the beast gathered him into a bear hug. There was no escaping as the huge arms wrapped around him and began to crush his spine. He braced his feet, wrapped his own arms around the bear and squeezed back.
Rolly was having an easier time of things. As the snake coiled and readied its strike, he swayed back and forth, prepared to dodge. The snake watched his swaying, timing its strike. As the strike came, the snake belatedly realized it had been focused on the wrong predator. Squirmie swooped down and struck with all six talons just behind the snake’s head. Beating his wings, he flew higher, the snake trailing behind him. Rolly began to cut at the snake as it hung in the air. The fur was surprisingly tough to cut through, but after that it only took a few more slices. Snicker-snack went the curved blades, and the snake fell into two pieces.
"Nice job Squirmie."
"So do giant Fursnakes. Did you think I didn't know you were a team of two?"
Rolly cried out as a viper only a few inches long bit him on the ankle. As he collapsed, the small snake slithered to the ghost and coiled about his ankle.
Squirmie tried to attack the ghost and the small snake, but could touch neither.
"Your fight is over, Child of Typhon and Echidna. Your mortal host will soon perish. That breed of asp was created from the blood of the Hydra of Lynaeria. Not even the hero Mulfistucles was a match for it. He is doomed."
The bug was quivering and nervous.
"Doing my best Squirmie. Help me out, just cut the leg off at the knee."
...snikt...
"Whew, I might make it. But it's going to be close. My active poison resistance is draining my stamina fast."
Runt stood his ground as the boar charged him, not blinking an eye. His only move was to sidestep as it barreled by, close enough for its tusks to leave scratches on his hide. As the boar passed him, he pivoted on one leg and brought his cane down in a sharp blow on the back of the enraged beast's leg, just above the ankle. The results were a surprise to both of them.
This part of a pig, and many other animals, is quite tender. The blow hurts terribly and makes it hard to use the leg. In this case, the effects were far worse. The Weapon Master perk made the blow from the Crippling Cane of Sneaky Slashing a thing to be feared. Intense pain cut through the boar’s rage and it limped along at a fraction of its earlier speed. But it wasn't giving up.
Quarter speed for a fast pig isn't nothing. The boar limped after Runt, eager to get to grips with him. It didn't count on Runt knowing just where to hit it to make a blow count. Runt had spent centuries as a minion and been killed dozens of times by monsters. Often the only chance to flee was to strike one small, painful blow, and then sprint to safety. In this case he deemed that the boar's snout was as tender as his own. The next blow from his cane was a hard thrust straight into the pig's snout, and then a fast sprint to the side.
The boar squealed and shook its head to clear the pain, only to be struck again, this time in its other rear leg. The duel went on and on. Runt striking and dodging, the boar trying desperately to come to grips with him. Rage gave the boar staying power. Desperation gave Runt even more. Eventually, one of them collapsed in the dirt.
With a loud SNAP! Ozzy's fight ended. He and the bear slumped over backwards. Ozzy took a deep breath, the Golden Bear didn't. It had been a near thing. Ozzy had felt his ribs going one by one, but in the end, he'd been stronger than his foe by a small margin.
A hazy figured hovered over him, "Damn, he always did have to fight fair. He should have kept hitting you while you were stunned. Bears are like that though." Ozzy clearly saw the name of the ghost now [Huntsman of Artemis-Legendary Creature].
Ozzy remembered he hadn't been the only one fighting. Rolly looked to have won his fight. The Fursnake was in two pieces, and Rolly was leaning against a tree, white-faced but smiling. Squirmie was sitting on his head, making odd humming noises. Rolly was missing his lower right leg.
At first Ozzy thought Runt was dead, then realized he was just leaning back against the belly of a monstrous boar. The boar was breathing hard and making snuffling noises. Runt was scratching its belly.
The Huntsman wasn't happy about the situation, "Fine, you won. Go ahead and loot the place. I never liked it anyway. Too gaudy with all the artwork and gold leaf. The incense was dumb, all the hunters smelled like roses and the animals knew they were nearby. I much preferred the years when I just had a campfire, a tent, and a small shrine. I mean, is that too much to ask for? Something primitive and natural?" He sat down on the rubble, crossed his arms, and sulked.
Your group has completed the Huntsman's Trials. You may loot the ruined Shrine of Artemis the Huntress.
(Probably no one will be pissed off at you.)
Ozzy could barely move but he staggered nearer to Rolly, "Are you going to live?"
Rolly nodded, then spat out a huge glob of green goo. It sizzled as it hit the ground and plants blackened. "I think so, it was a near thing. That venom cut right through my resistances."
"You have minor poison resistance at level 5, right?"
Ozzy was impressed, and then scared, "Shit, then that would have killed me dead. Guess I need to do some training too."
Rolly spat again, then said, "Actually, that little fight pushed Major Poison Resist to level 3, and Active Poison Resist to Level 7, Squirmie."
Ozzy turned to Runt, "How the hell did you train that thing?"
The boar got to its feet, a tinge of red coming back to its eyes. Runt put a hand on its head, "He isn't trained; wild as all hell and twice as angry. Watch yourself around him, smartass. The two of us just came to an agreement that he has tender ankles, and I could beat on him all day long. Truce for now."
"Well, good for you two. Do you think you can go get Ben and Suzette, and bring them over here safely? We have a change of plans."
In a small clearing in the Beastwoods, a hunter's camp was being built. Several sedge beast hides were stretched on a wooden frame to make a lean to. A campfire was nearby. A few antlers and beast skulls were hanging from tree branches. The skin of a Fursnake was tacked up on a drying rack. To the side was a small altar. Simple, just a large marble slab in front of three trees.
"Is this all you want done?" Suzette was dressed as a Priestess of Hermes and speaking with the Huntsman.
"Yes, this is all I need. Something from simpler times when hunters slew beasts for fur and food, giving thanks to the Goddess." He glanced at the pile of marble at the other end of the clearing. "Screw all the people that put me indoors and fancied up something beautiful."
"Then I guess we're ready." She turned to Ozzy, "This is a bit more complex. I need you to lay the Golden Bear on the altar and then follow my lead. Sort of winging it here."
Ozzy put the corpse of the Golden Bear on the altar, then stood next to Suzette. She took his hand and cut it on his Ancient Billhook, "By the blood of a hunter that you have acknowledged, and the offering of this worthy foe, I ask that this shrine be blessed by thee, Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt."
Moonlight shone brighter on the glade, and the bear's body shimmered in it and disappeared. The symbol of the Huntress appeared in silver on the stone altar. The Huntsman sighed, "I can't begin to say how much better this is. Mine is a lonely existence, but I'll be more at peace now."
"Then perhaps we should reward faithful service with a companion" The speaker was a well-muscled woman with short-cropped blond hair dressed in worn leathers; a long knife on her side and a bow on her back her only weapons. She was carrying a bear cub with golden fur. As she set it on the ground, it ran to the kneeling Huntsman who hugged it close.
Runt had immediately gone to one knee and hid behind a tree. Ozzy, Suzette and Ben took a knee. Rolly and Squirmie remained where they were. Artemis paused, then spoke
"Greetings again, Butcher. I see you are keeping busy and even taking an interest in learning to hunt. I'm pleased.
"Greetings to you, sister of the Golden Dawn. Thank you for your service to my shrine, and please bring greetings to Hermes when you see him."
She looked at the others, "What an assortment of allies you brought together, Ozzy. A pair of predators, an ex-minion on the path to glory, and a Paladin of the Maid of Orleans. I thank you for your service to my Huntsman. What boon do you seek for your service, my butcher?"
Ozzy paused, rubbed the back of his neck and then looked her in the eye, "Well, our next job is rebuilding the Butcher's Guild Hall. Suzette was going to seek an invocation for that one too and...."
Artemis held up a hand, "It doesn't take much to follow where this trail leads. Consider your blessing granted as soon as your work is done. But still, that is as much a benefit to myself as to others. I think we can do a little bit better to help you advance upon my path."
With a wave of her hand, the wounds Ozzy and Rolly had taken quickly healed. The goddess faded away as a message appeared to all of them.
Greetings brothers and sisters, to the Hunter's Guild of the Beastwoods
You have completed the following quests:
-Find the Huntsman's Camp??Reward: 1 Hunter's Guild Point
-Complete the Huntsman’s Challenge??Reward: 3 Hunter's Guild Points
-Consecrate a Shrine to Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt??Reward: 10 Guild points
Further Quests:
-Kill 10 Chimerae and bring their tusks or claws to the Huntsman's Camp??Reward: 1 Hunter's Guild Point
-Kill 100 Chimerae and bring their tusks or claws to the Huntsman's Camp??Reward: 3 Hunter's Guild Point
-Kill 10 Large Chimerae and bring their tusks or claws to the Huntsman's Camp??Reward: 5 Hunter's Guild Point
-Kill a Mighty Beast of Legend????Reward: 25 points divided among the hunting party.
-Enter the Menagerie??Reward: 1 Hunter's Guild Point
-Kill a beast in the Menagerie ??Reward: 3 Hunter's Guild Point
-Kill the King Chimerae of the Menagerie??Reward: 25 points divided among the hunting party.
-Solve a Riddle??Reward: 1 Hunter's Guild Point
-Fail to solve a riddle??1 Hunter's Guild Point
Training available from this Hunter's Guild. Costs may be paid with either Core Skill Points or Hunter's Guild Points.
Primary Weapon Skills available. Cost: 3 points each.
Weapon: Spear
Weapon: Bow
Weapon: Long Knife
Weapon: Blow Gun
Weapon: Boomerang
Weapon: Sling
Weapon: Harpoon
Weapon: Atlatl
Weapon: Woomera
Unarmed Attack: Bear Hug.
Perk: Beast's Senses??Cost: 5 points
You have a heightened sense. The nose of a wolf, the ears of a fox, or the herd sense of a sedge bull. May be taken multiple times. May be taken once per tier with increasing cost of 5/10/15.
Perk: Hunter's Slyness??Cost: 5 points
You know how to mask your scent with herbs or diet. You naturally approach from downwind. (Or maybe the wind shifts in your favor?) The earth absorbs the sound of your passing and your trail is hard to follow. May be taken once per tier with increasing cost of 5/10/15.
Skills available. Cost: 1 for tertiary, 2 for secondary, 3 for Primary
Skill: Novice Tracking PER
Skill: Novice Stealth DEX
Skill: Fishing
Skill: Boar Hunting (Spear, boar spear, or over-designed pole-weapon.)
Skill: Shark Hunting (Harpoon)
Skill: Predator Knowledge (Something went bump in the night? Something destroyed a town? Something is breathing down the back of your neck? You'll figure it out. You've learned to pick up subtle clues, match them to old legends, or decipher the ramblings of scared peasants. You have a pretty good idea of what's out there, and maybe how to stop it. INT)
Craft skill: Skinning
Craft skill: Hide crafting (gear, clothing, and light armor from hides and light leather.)
Crafts kill: Scrimshaw: (The carving of animal bones and ivory.)
More rewards may open with accomplishments.
For a minute or two, the workers read through the notice and began discussing how to use the rewards. Ben clapped his hands together, "Time to get moving. That's only one thing done tonight. Let's get to work on the Guild Hall. I assume Artemis won't mind us using all that marble to build a headquarters for a Butcher's Guild?"
The Huntsman spoke up from where he was playing with the cub. "Please, I beg of you, clean away all that stone and incense tainted rubble. I'll be happy to have it gone."
Runt and Ozzy each picked up a stone pillar and started walking back. Rolly hefted a large block of marble.As the group was walking back, Squirmie asked Rolly a question.
Rolly got a big smile on his face, "Why, only the coolest dragons that ever lived. The dragons have a lot of stories about them and how their great love for each other helped them overthrow the selfish gods of old and populate the world with baby dragons who grew up and began civilization. I've got lots of stories I can tell you about them."
"You and me both Squirmie. Buddy Dragons forever."
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