Chapter 19: The Army, and The Named Beast

LEVI ELBRUS’S POINT OF VIEW 

 

“Finally here,” I groaned, taking in the sight of the sea-side town. Small shacks, stalls and taverns lined the streets, and the water was dotted with fishing boats. “There’s a lot of people here, right?” 

“Ravenport is famous for their fishmongers and specialities,” Tiala chimed in. “They sell the bodies of sea monsters that live just off the coast. Apparently, they’re a delicacy.” 

“I doubt that’s got anything to do with those guys being here  though,” I chimed in, gesturing to a militant-looking group of around fifty that were marching through the street with a rhythmic thumping. 

“Everyone gets hungry though,” Asmode said, his mouth full of the sea monster meat Tiala had mentioned. “Want some?” 

I accepted the massive octopus tentacle on a stick, despite not feeling even slightly peckish. “You get hungry?” I asked, having assumed that he would be similar to me. 

“Yeah?” He answered, though it seemed to be more of a question. 

‘Devour.’  

[Unable to devour the skills of Octobrakk of the Cold, as the monster is not dead.] 

‘This one has a name?’ I thought. For every other monster had simply been a beast in the system’s eyes, so it was only natural my interest would be piqued.  

‘Tasty...’ 

“So where are we heading?” I asked, peeking over Tiala’s shoulder at a small map she had marked. “That little x?” 

“Someone’s smart,” she quipped, rolling her eyes. “Looks like we’re following behind the army for now.” 

We did follow the army, if only for ten or so minutes. They constantly glanced back at us, their gazes weary. Overhearing some whispers amongst them and watching as the soldiers’ knuckles whitened around their weapons. 

“Are we suspicious?” I asked, leaning in discreetly to Tiala to keep our conversation hush. 

“Who knows, but it might be your mana signature. “It’s unique,” she informed me with a small gulp. “And unique is bad in their eyes.” 

Luckily, a fork in the road appeared. The massive group took the road to the right, which snaked to reach a dilapidated tower atop a hill which looked as though it hadn’t been used in a few decades. We took the road to the left. 

Although the majority of the soldiers seemed like small-fry, a few of them looked to be trouble- and we didn’t need any trouble with any governmental bodies. 

“That’s the cave there,” she called, pointing to a large maw in the side of a hill. “The Iceopus apparently has its nest in here.” 

“Then let’s go,” I ordered, my two teammates following behind me as we entered, unshaken by the thought of fighting it. The cave was freezing but looked no different to the one I had woken up in a few years back.  

Asmode conjured a large ball of flame as he walked between Tiala and I, keeping us warm as we trudged through the lightly ice-covered cave interior. Instead of stalactites and stalagmites, large icicles jutted out from everywhere in the cave, maintaining their frozen solidity even when Asmode tried to thaw them. 

Loud, rhythmic suction noises along with the odd screeching noise echoed against the cave’s walls. I felt as though my ears were about to bleed from it, but managed to maintain a calm composure- up until I saw it.  

An octopus of at least two meters in height- with a wingspan to match- was writhing around in an open part of the cave, its pale-blue skin nearly luminescent as it nested on three eggs, unaware of our intrusion. 

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“Didn’t the request say that this was a C-class quest?” I asked, knowing that a monster of this size was not that easy to kill. “That looks to be at least B, maybe A-class.” 

“I hate to admit it, but you’re right,” Tiala muttered, hiding behind the wall at the entrance to avoid the monster’s gaze. “We should inform the guild about the misinformation.” 

“Asmode,” I called. “What class are you?” 

“I don’t have one,” he informed me. “I’m not registered with the guild.” 

“So that’s why we’re a C-Class party,” I sighed, realising only Tiala and I were recognised as part of the group. “You’re C-Class then?” 

“Yeah,” she nodded. “No magic sets you back a good bit.” 

“But what does that matter?” Asmode asked, eyeing the octopus as it put another layer of frost on the walls and roof, never letting its eggs out of its sight. “We can still kill this thing.” 

“He has a point,” Tiala backed him up. “Just because something is bigger doesn’t mean it’s stronger.” 

‘Usually it does,’ I thought sarcastically,  rolling my eyes.  

I noticed that the octopus had a piece of one of its tentacles missing, and squinted to see how it had been done. A bite mark seemed to be at the wounded area, but it seemed like dull teeth- possibly even fingers.  

‘What could rip a tentacle off of this thing?’ I asked, looking at Asmode’s hands. ‘I don’t think he could even do it…’ 

“Are we doing this or not?” The big red behemoth asked, and I could see in his eyes that he was ready to go, a fire in his belly for the fight that was about to ensue. “Cause I quite liked the octopus I had earlier.” 

“Earlier…” I whispered, and I felt my brain trying to connect dots that I couldn’t think of myself. A lightbulb moment occurred, and I realised- to my dismay- that this was the snack I had earlier. “Are there such things as named monsters?” 

“They’re rare. Most of them are ancient, lying dormant from the last revival of the Sins nearly four hundred years ago,” Tiala informed me, her answers feeling mesmerised from a textbook. “Why? You think he’s one?” 

“I know he is,” I stated. “Is there an Octobrakk in the named monsters you know of?”  

She thought for a moment, her eyes growing gradually wide as she remembered all she could.  

“Shit” was all she could muster before the octopus let out a screech of anger.  

“Well we lost our chance to leave,” Asmode announced, sounding happier than I had ever seen him. “Named monster or not, he’s got marks on him. That means he can still die!” 

I watched as he charged into the nest, where the octopus was thrashing erratically, each tentacle aiming to crush my companion.  

“He’s got a point,” I relented. “Whether this is the same Octobrakk or not, we’ll figure it out.”  

I gave Tiala a smile and patted her on the back to comfort her. 

“When have we ever lost?” I smirked, running to join Asmode in the fray. 

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