Encounter

It was late in the afternoon when the group of four hunters reached the inner part of the fishing hamlet. The place looked different than the first part of the village. Residential houses were two to three storeys high. They were taller than the other houses. The ones at the entrance were more like wooden huts.

They stood atop one of the houses, looking at the wooden bridges that connected the roofs together. There were many villagers positioned at the roofs and on the ground below. They were all guards, armed with harpoons and accompanied by strange dog-like creatures. "Expect heavy resistance," Gehrman announced to his team. "We should split up," Laurence said. "It'd be faster if two cleared the lower part of the village while the other two take care of the ones patrolling the roofs."

"They didn't come meet us before. But that doesn't mean they don't expect intruders. I'll take the roofs with Karla. She's fast and good at stealth. If I let you two take the roofs, you'll only attract unwanted attention to us down below." Karla was happy to split up from the two men. They simply unnerved her.

They were cold blooded. She didn't like the way Gehrman eyed her either. She welcomed the prospect of splitting up. "That's good enough for me. Gehrman, any objections?" Laurence asked. "We're better at frontal confrontations. We'll make short work of the ones down there."

"Beware of their dogs. This whole village has gone supernatural. We cannot underestimate their power." Lady Maria's concerned tone rang in the team's ears.

"I'd be more concerned about those tall staffs in the distance. Is it possible that the Great One they hold has granted them all of these abilities?" Laurence was scanning the area as he spoke. "We shouldn't stay separated. We clear this place then regroup to discuss our next step."

The three nodded then split up. Laurence and Gehrman jumped down. The rain muffled their steps, making stealth easier. Lady Maria and Karla didn't go through the main bridge. They both jumped from one roof to the other, using the hipped roofs to hide their presence. They silently executed every sentry that had a clear shot at the two hunters below.

"I don't like the ones holding those tall staffs," Lady Maria whispered. "I'll cross the bridge, take care of them. You take care of the ones that are left in this area." The fair lady ran towards the eastern part of the village. Karla quickly ran towards the other sentries, taking them out silently.

She soon encountered her first lightning summoner. It wore a long veil, covering its entire face. It held a tall staff in its hands, ornamented with a glowing lamp on top. Karla ran behind the hipped roof. She didn't know how those enemies attacked. They seemed very different from the other fishmen. She approached, apprehensively, clutching her weapon, ready to attack. A flashing light attracted her attention. She looked at the direction Lady Maria went to. A bolt of lightning had missed her by inches.

That attack attracted the other lightning summoner Karla was about to attack. It turned then noticed her. It held the staff high above its head and chanted in a strange language. Soon, a strange light surrounded her. Sensing danger, Karla jumped forward, towards her enemy. Lighting struck behind her as she sliced the summoner in half.

Below, harrowing wails echoed as Laurence and Gehrman slaughtered the scaled fishmen. Gehrman used his pistol to shoot the dogs while Laurence used his arcane powers. They had both split up, each covering half of the area. The fishmen were no match for the strength of the elite. They had all been brutally massacred.

The team of four hunters met again at the area below. "That wasn't too difficult," Laurence said. "Speak for yourself. If one of those strange lightning bolts hit me, I wouldn't be talking to you right now." Lady Maria was still shocked at the arcane power the summoners possessed.

"I saw the entrance to some cave up above," Karla said. The incessant fighting between the two irritated her. She had to intervene and stop it before they started nagging at each other. "It should be our way to reach the sea shore," Gehrman commented. "We should hurry, the sun is racing west."

It was dark in the village. Dark clouds covered the sky, giving the strange hamlet an even darker atmosphere. Karla could still see clearly despite the heavy rain. She assumed that the sun was still up, although it felt like it was about to set. She knew that it was impossible, it was almost noon when they first reached the hamlet. Time couldn't have passed so quickly.

She had heard from the others that she lost consciousness due to the insight she gained. She remembered how Surgit reacted to insight after they defeated the Cleric Beast. She didn't know what it was then, but the Old Hunters informed her of what it was. The pain she experienced was beyond bearable. Laurence had even praised her, saying that not every hunter survived gaining insight.

"Most hunters would lose their mind and eventually transform. You've seen it with your own eyes in Hemwick," Laurence told her. "Others would go into a frenzied state. They'd eventually lose their mind and die unless they managed to calm themselves." He handed her two medicinal bottles after that, saying that they were sedatives, useful against frenzy. "You'd know it when you feel frenzy creeping up on you. Your blood will feel like it's boiling, ready to explode away from your body. It's an ugly affair. Don't let it happen to you."

Karla wasn't unconscious for long though. She woke up after a few minutes and the group moved forward. All of that meant that the sun was still up in the sky. Gehrman had a point. If they didn't move faster, night would fall and they'd still be stuck in the fishing hamlet.

"What is that thing they're protecting at the sea shore?" she finally asked as they were making their way towards the cave. "It's a Great One," Lady Maria was the one to answer her question. "There are very few remaining in our world. The old records say that they have but vanished from this world," Laurence overtook the conversation, happy to play the role of a lecturer.

"From the description we received in the report, this Great One fits the description of Kos. We don't know why she hasn't vanished like the others. We can only speculate though." The hunters had reached the cave by then. Sheltered from the rain, their ears seemed to have cleared up. It was similar to the effect of ears popping due to a yawn or the blowing of one's nose. They could hear Laurence's words echo through the walls of the large cave.

"The Pthumerians, who inhabited this land before us, left some cryptic descriptions of the Old Ones. We worked tirelessly at Byrgenwerth to decipher those inscriptions. The gist of it was that Old Ones always lost their children. They could get pregnant, but their child wouldn't see the day of light.

"This pushed them to look for an alternative. They'd select some surrogate candidates, gift them their blood expecting them to give them the child they never had. The Pthumerians thrived thanks to this gift of blood. Their population grew stronger, healthier and far more intelligent than we could ever hope to be.

"We understood from their scriptures that the Great Ones had one day vanished. They had rather transcended into another plane of existence. We never expected to meet a living Great One though. We suspected that they still lived, but proving their existence was difficult."

The hunters suddenly stopped in their tracks. They spotted more lightning summoners in the distance. Some fishmen were hacking at some rocks with pickaxes, mining materials of unknown use to them. "I'll finish this story later, we have monsters to slay." Laurence drew his sword then ran forward. Gehrman followed suit then Karla and Maria came next.

The dance of death was performed. Screams filled the cave as the four hunters slayed and decapitated their prey. Miners, summoners and dogs were all slain quickly and effectively. The hunters traveled through the cave, going deeper and deeper into the fishing hamlet's coveted secret. The soon reached a passage that led towards the exit.

An incredible sight welcomed them. About fifty villagers knelt before the exit, prostrating towards the Great One that lay on the shore. "Give people something beyond their comprehension and they treat is a God," Gehrman commented. He attached his blade to its pole then proceeded to slaughtering the prostrating villagers. Nothing could stop them from reaching the Great One they sought.

It was their hope to break the curse that had befallen them. They had to reach it, regardless of the price they had to pay. Karla just watched the onslaught, unable to make a move. Defending against attackers that aimed to kill her was one thing, slaughtering idle people was another. Lady Maria stood next to her, unmoving.

Karla could see disgust on her face. Laurence and Gehrman killed all the praying men, not one was shown mercy. Karla felt bile build up her throat. She was used to killing, but she could never stomach this kind of massacres. Lady Maria's hands trembled. Karla looked up at her. She was biting her lips hard enough that blood seeped down from them.

The two hunters finished their butchery then moved outside, towards the Great One.

Kos lay down ashore, unmoving. Multiple murmurs rung inside Karla's head, she felt dizzy and disgusted. "All of this for the Eye Cord. I hope those two understand the extent of what they've done…"

Lady Maria walked slowly towards Kos, her hands still trembling.