The Hunt (2)

"So are you going to ask us for our names?" I realize I'm just being a dick at this point, but I can't resist.

"I just did!"

"No, you implied that you would ask us for our names." I hold back a chuckle as her face grows red. Even her two goons can't help but smile. Her shoulders are raised high in the air, and her arms are held tight to her body. I can tell she's frustrated from how she clenches her fists. Having had my fill, I give her a few seconds to compose herself.

"What are your names, peasants?" A whirlwind of emotions is still rushing around inside of her. I can see her struggling to hold it together.

"Sakura."

"I'm Josh."

"Niccolo Drake, but you can call me Nick."

"Oh, I didn't know you were a noble." This little nugget of information has deflected her wrath for now.

"My father is a baronet, so I'm not really a noble."

"So you're basically a peasant."

"Yes, just like how you're basically a pain in the ass." This comment gets a giggle out of the peanut gallery. She turns and glares at her companions to get them to stop.

"You can't talk to a noble that way!"

"Oh, so you inherited your father's title?"

"Well, no…"

"Then surely you are the heir."

"No…" Her voice gets smaller after each question.

"So you're the child of a noble, just like me."

"…"

"Your name?"

"I-I'm Shinobu Richter."

"Well, nice to meet you. Is there anything else you need from us?"

"Um, uh…"

"Alright, well, we'll be on our way."

"Wait! What are you doing out here?" Shinobu takes a step toward us after regaining some of her confidence.

"Hunting, mostly."

"You're all going to die!"

"I wouldn't be so sure. We've got a secret weapon."

"We do?" Josh asks.

[Well, it was fun while it lasted.]

"Yes! We do! And don't ask what it is!"

"Hehehe, I'm sure you do. Well, you kids, be careful." Shinobu laughs at us as she guides her goons into the woods.

"Okay, thank you. You be careful too." Josh turns to us, looking satisfied after responding to Shinobu's taunt, "She's nice."

I slap my face in exasperation.

"You think so?" I allow my tired voice to leak through my fingers.

"Yes."

"Josh, you're so cute!" Sakura jumps on his arm as confusion spreads across his face.

[Goddammit, Josh.]

"Forget it. Let's just keep moving." I get the kids to focus, and we keep walking along the edge of the grove. After a few minutes, I see Woohee fly in from the right.

"I'm sorry. Woohee was told to stay away from humans because they're bad."

"That's understandable. I forgive you." I clear my position so that Woohee doesn't hold onto any negative feelings.

"We're bad?" I can see Sakura's eyes watering at Woohee's careless remark. Both Woohee and I rush over to try to console her. Josh notices and quickly smothers her in a hug.

"Nononono, It's not you; it's just the other humans." Woohee struggles to come up with the right words.

"The fairies have to be careful not to be captured by humans, so they're taught to avoid people at all costs. We're in a very unusual situation, and we must keep that in mind." I take a more logical approach to create some emotional distance.

"No crying!" Josh yells.

We manage to calm Sakura down after explaining the situation to her, and we continue on our way to wherever Woohee takes us. After another half hour or so, we come upon an area of the forest with fewer Mammoth Trees. The fungi here grow more densely, which seems to have attracted many Slimes. I can see several variations of the gooey creatures, from white and green to black and red. The next most prominent aspect of this place is the Punctastars crawling around. These monsters are scaled, starfish-like creatures with blades on the tips of each of their five legs. The underside of each limb is lined with suction cups with spikes ringing around the rim. These aren't particularly fast or dangerous creatures, but they're the primary predator of the many different types of Slimes in the forest.

"So you want us to kill the Punctastars?" I ask.

"Yes! A lot of trees have died in this area because of the glowy plants. The Slimes are trying to help, but the Mean Stars keep eating them!" Woohee flies about frantically during her explanation. I look around the area and see one Punctastar separated from the others.

"Let's try to fight that one first."

"Okay."

"It looks gross." Sakura cringes at the sight of the five-legged creature. It isn't pretty to look at, but there are definitely many kinks in its armor.

[The scales on its body are made to blunt or redirect blows, but if we aim our attacks correctly, we can pull up the scales and attack the more vulnerable flesh below.]

I walk up with my spear and probe the Punctastar for weaknesses. It's slowly overtaking a slime for a light meal. The scales are very uniform, like the shingles on a roof. I stab my spear horizontally and dig down under the scales. The spear doesn't go very deep, but I can tell I hit something important by the way the Punctastar starts flailing around. I step back to avoid taking any damage and go over the strategy with my party.

"Alright, did you two see the way I attacked it?"

"Yes!"

"No." Josh wears his patented serious expression as he responds.

"Okay, have you ever thought about how roofs work?"

"No."

"The shingles act like scales and allow the water to roll down the roof, with each shingle covering the one below it. That being said, they only work because rain falls down. If the rain came in from the side, the shingles wouldn't work, and the water would get into your home. Do you understand?"

"I think so."

"Why don't you try taking a stab at it and see what happens? Just be careful."

"Okay." Josh moves forward with his sword raised and stands in front of the agitated Punctastar. He takes a stance in preparation to defend himself, but the star-shaped creature doesn't have any eyes, so it just squirms around on the ground.

"Strike low; try to keep your sword horizontal when you thrust." I offer some advice. Josh stabs low into the main body of the creature. It lashes out in his direction, and he dodges by jumping back.

"Perfect, just like that. Now, Sakura, your turn." Sakura steps to the side and lines up a shot. She releases the arrow, and it bounces off the monster's scales. Even though it didn't do any damage, the Punctastar still swings one of its grotesque arms in her direction.

"I hit it."

"Good job. Now aim for its backside."

"Which side is the back side?" I can see why she's confused. I correct my wording in my response.

"The side furthest from me. Aim for the leg to your right." Sakura fires another arrow, and this time it lodges itself between some scales. The star-shaped creature lashes out in a direction away from us. It seems it can't perceive us at all, so it just attacks with whichever leg receives a blow.

"Great! Did you see that?"

"See what?" Josh asks.

"It attacked away from us. That means if we attack from different angles, it shouldn't be able to figure out where we are. Watch this." I walk up the Punctastar and stab over the leg in front of me, into the one beside it. The beast lashes out to the side, so I try it again to confirm my suspicions. It seems to understand that the attack is coming in from the side but can't determine where. After several more stabs, I feel my spear dig deeply into its flesh. In a panic, it starts flailing wildly in every direction, exposing the soft skin below.

"Aim for its underside when it starts flailing around." Both Josh and I try to land a hit while dodging the sharp tips of the legs while Sakura launches arrows. The fight continues for a couple of minutes until it finally stops moving. The kids stand back to catch their breath while I finish it off. My spear digs deep into its center. A gurgling sound leaks out from the Punctastar before it flattens to the ground; all life seems to have left its body. A small message appears in my peripherals.