What Is That!?

Fei and Sofia were testing out their newly-made weapons. They've taken a quest involving the subjugation of several Aarvos, a small, humanoid creatures akin to goblins, but are capable of using minor spells and even creating nature weapons. The quest this time was the subjugation of a small camp of Aarvos some distance further North.

"Haa!" Fei let out a fierce shout as she kicked one of the Aarvos into the distance. Another one sprung from behind her, equipped with a club made out of a tree branch, and struck Fei squarely in the shoulders.

"Oh! That didn't feel a thing!" she said as she took the monster by the neck, before delivering a powerful knee to its face, shattering its skull. "This armor is the best!" she said.

Every bit of monster blood that clung to her during her battles is instantly absorbed by the gauntlets. Brittany explained it as its way of conserving resources to use for its self-restoration, but hey, as long as it keeps her clean, Fei was okay with it.

Sofia, on the other hand, was decimating monsters one by one with her spells. Since her staff is now able to amplify certain magical traits, she can deal extra damage with lesser mana. Also, she liked the way that her staff can now be easily taken in places due to its function.

"[ICE LANCE]" she chanted, and just by that, several pieces of spikey ice things were produced, appearing out of thin air. The icicles then headed towards individual Aarvos, leaving none of them alive. The good thing about this spell is that it doesn't leave any physical evidence of the deed on the monster, as the ice would simply melt away after some time. Seeing her improved staff and its usefulness, Sofia couldn't hide her excitement.

"This is great, Ms. Fei!" she said.

"I told you that Brit is the best crafter in Ancdam, didn't I?"

"Yes, she truly is. Maybe next time, I will commission her to make me a mage's robe," she said.

"Yeah, next time, when you got your hands on another quality monster material," Fei replied. "But man, this Aarvos sure knows how to use Nature weapons, huh?" she said as she kicked one of the wooden clubs away.

There are several varieties of Nature weapons, but the Aarvos used things like wooden clubs, stone-tipped spears, axes made out of shape rocks and wooden handles, a primitive bow and arrow, and even pickaxes use for digging out tunnels.

"It was a good thing that they were fewer, if not, we might have a major problem," Sofia supplemented Fei's remarks.

"Well, now that that is done, let's return to the guild,"

"Yeah, let's."

The two left the area after clearing the monster camp. Of course, they didn't forget to take anything of value from them, such as their magic cores and other materials. This will surely fetch some good price at the guild.

~~~~

At the top of Mount Sundra, we're an old observatory that once stood overseeing the trading route between Drethia and the several lost kingdoms.

Lambard and his group were able to reach the peak thanks to his magic prowess. The rugged, snowy terrain would surely give any assessor a run for their money. But thanks to his magic, he created a simple, stair-like path leading to the top. It was at this moment that mages really stand out. The variety of magic they can employ is surely useful for many sorts of situations.

"The observatory is now on sight, ready your weapons, we do not know if there are traps in the area, so keep your eyes peeled," said Lambard as he covered his mouth with his scarf, the sudden blizzard assailing them from every side.

One of the assessors noticed something in the distance and quickly pointed it out to him. Enhancing his vision using magic, he was able to see farther than normal. Due to the thick blizzard, he can only make out a black silhouette. Getting closer, he was now able to see the thing clearly.

"What is that!?" he said as he told his men to prepare for battle.

~~~~~

In the abandoned mines northwest of Ancdam City, Kreig, together with Rose, Vince, Eisen, and the other assessors arrived at the entrance to the Tahluka Mines. The mines used to be a major source of metal deposits and rare stones, but were abandoned by the kingdom after exhausting all of its resources. Made using dwarven technologies, the scaffolding holding the mines is superior as compared to others, and the mines remain standing despite the lack of maintenance. The group was making their way inside with Kreig leading the way, with a lamp in one hand.

"These are the times that I wish we had a mage with us," Vince commented. "A single Luminous spell would be enough to illuminate the entirety of this passage, and more," he said.

"Don't be crazy. You know that only oddballs like Lambard would join the assessors. They have a more secure future in the academe and other governmental positions, so who can blame them," one of the assessors commented.

"Yeah, I know that! But still, having one can be handy," he insisted.

Soon after, Kreig stopped in his tracks. He was looking towards the dark, father into the distance.

"Why'd you stop?" Rose asked him.

Kreig only placed a finger over his lips, telling her to keep quiet. Rose complied. Everyone tensed up as Kreig started drawing his sword from his back, readying himself for what is beyond the dark passageway. Everyone's gaze was fixated on the void, their ears perked to detect even the tiny droplets dripping from the ceiling. Soon, they heard the sound of something scuffling across the ground.

"Here it comes," Kreig said as he threw the lamp into the 'thing'. The light from the lamp traced across the air, briefly showing them the appearance of their adversary.

~~~~

"Woah! It's the ocean!"

The assessors led by Franz are now in the port city of Velum. For some, it was their first time actually being in the ocean., so they were clearly excited about the prospect of being in one. Velum is used to connect the continent to other areas of the world. Commerce was booming during the time before the appearance of the Northern Province, turning this once bountiful port city into ruins.

"Hey, we're not here to sightsee We are here to investigate, so better move those hips and start searching for clues," he said.

"Okay, okay," everyone answered as they prepared to search every nook and cranny of the area.

"But before that, looks like we have a guest," Franz interrupted their slacking and readied his sword and shield.

Off the coast, the sight of something big moving across the water can be seen. The waves parted as the huge thing makes its way to the assessors. With a big splash, the thing showed its form to Franz and the others.

"Ha ha! Look's like this won't be an easy fight!" he laughed despite himself after seeing its appearance.

~~~~

"Marcus! Can we slow down a bit!?" protested one of his team members as they traversed the spiraling trees and root systems. The Wandering Forest is a large collection of trees, some of which are centuries old. Having been left for a couple of decades without human intervention, it came into being as one of the largest natural mazes in the North, where some of the adventurers

"What are you saying? The faster we get there, the faster we can go back!" Marcus replied, picking up even more pace as the others complained.

His teammates can only sigh in despair as they see that their leader is a man that cannot be reasoned with.

"Hmmm?" He stopped shortly after noticing the parting trees in the distance. "I smell a beast," he said.

The other assessors readied their weapons as the sound of trees falling and crashing came closer and closer.

"Come!" he declared as he prepared to meet the rushing beast.

~~~~

"So this is the Ad'eir Cave, huh? Not as impressive as it sounds," said Deirera after arriving at their location. "Will anyone really make this their base?" she asked the others. They only shook their heads, not sure what to answer as they are only as clueless as Deirera was.

"I cannot say for certain, but, this looked like fresh tracks," one of the assessors pointed out an imprint in the ground. The damp cave floor is not suited for holding footprints and other visible prints at that. Even animal tracks are hard to grasp.

"My nose is useless in this damp," she said. "Hey, someone, light a torch for me, will 'ya?" she said. One of the assessors handed her a torch. With a light in hand, she led the way into the cave. As they were walking in a straight line, they can hear the rustling of wings in the distance.

"Where is that sound coming from?" one of the assessors asked, checking their surroundings as they walked. Even Deirera went silent as she tries to sense her surroundings, readying herself for a surprise attack. She can faintly follow the source of the sound, but now, she completely lost it. As she was trying to figure out where the sound is coming from, she heard the sound coming from below the ground. Before she could even alert the others, the ground beneath them started to crumble, leaving them falling into the abyss.

~~~~

"Don't let yourself be overnumbered, boys!" said Gladius as they repelled the relentless hordes of undead and skeletons.

The ruins of Thalmuth are known for having one of the most congested areas that hold many undead and dark-type monsters. Gladius and his gang are now experiencing what the adventurers called the "welcoming party" of Thalmuth. As they were busy holding off the hordes of the dead, one of the assessors spotted something unusual in the distance.

"Hey, is that part of the welcoming party?" one of the assessors pointed toward the end of the horde, to a certain area where a monster stood. Gladius looked toward where he was pointing, and there he could see a monster that wasn't part of the 'welcoming party' that he knows of.

"Looks like we're in for a big surprise lads," he said as he started their offensive. "Stay close behind me, and whatever you do, do not stray away!"

~~~~

"Miss Cassandra? Are we really going to take on that monster?" one of her colleagues asked her.

"What a silly thing to ask. Of course, we would. We are the proud assessors of Drethia," she replied.

"But, do we really stand a chance against THAT?" he asked once more.

Since Cassandra's eyes are blindfolded, she does not know what he meant by that. However, she can sense an incredibly powerful aura beyond, together with several smaller auras, probably the ones responsible for the monster's appearance.

She unfolded the scythe in her hands and readied her stance. The air went silent as the blade glinted, pointing its sharp end toward the monster.

"Well, there is only one way to end this," she said as she charged toward the enemy.

"Ah, dang it! Why do these leaders all have a bad temper in battle? Everyone, let's support Miss Cassandra!"

"Yeah!"

With an invigorating shout, the rest of the assessors rushed behind Cassandra.

"Look's like I have many dependable men in my group," Cassandra smiled as she heard them shout for battle.