Soul Caller 1 - Chapter 38 (Patreon)

Not caring about maintaining his silence anymore, he picked up speed, running as fast as he could through the forest. Behind him, he could hear the snap of rifles and screams of pain, mixed with the pounding thump of trees crashing to the ground. The sound by itself was terrifying, but what really worried Merrick was the intense pressure radiating through the Song of the World. He could feel the earth's groan as the monster that had appeared wreaked havoc. By this point, any plans he had to hunt down the remaining prospectors had been thrown out.

There was a new threat in the woods, and Merrick had the distinct feeling that if he didn't put as much distance between himself and this area as he possibly could, he would quickly become prey. As he ran, he pulled up his slate map, beginning to look for the best route out of the mountains. His village was far to the south, marked clearly on the map, but he had close to one hundred fifty miles to cross, all steep mountainous terrain. Ahead of him was the unsettling peak where they had found the snake nest, and it was there Merrick headed, hoping that the presence of the snakes would help hide him from the scaled beasts.

He traveled until dark, keeping up a consistent pace somewhere between a run and a jog. It allowed him to cover distance quickly, and it was a pace he could keep up all day. As the sun began to set, he found a spot to camp out a little ways away from a burbling mountain stream. He had not touched the mana-infused water from the underground river since leaving the canyon, instead drinking from streams as he found them, but now he took a small sip, replenishing the energy in his body, in case he would need to move during the dark hours of the night.

Chewing on a piece of jerky, he gazed up into the night sky as the moon rose bright and full. He could see faint clouds swallowing the stars on the horizon, and the smell in the wind was that of rain. Realizing that he was in for a storm, Merrick moved his tent under the shelter of a few trees, paying careful attention to avoid disturbing any snakes or scorpions. As he settled down to meditate, he found himself strangely disturbed. He'd gotten far enough away from the scaled beasts that he couldn't smell their stench, but the faint, discordant sound they caused in the Song of the World persisted, and only seemed to be getting stronger. It felt as if every fifteen minutes or so, his meditation would be disrupted as the discordant notes grew stronger, causing Merrick to frown. Part of him thought it wisest to get as far away from this new enemy as he could. But there was a growing anger in his heart that sought to drive him back towards the monsters, demanding that he slay them where they stand.

Apart from his memories, Merrick had never seen a scaled beast, and while he didn't fancy seeing them now, by the time morning awoke, he had resolved to return. If there was a new threat, he felt as if he needed to know about it. And so, as the sun rose, Merrick changed his path, returning the way he had come, until he found a good vantage point that would overlook a deep ravine the path cut through. There he stayed until the sun was high in the sky, watching for any sign of either the prospectors or the scaled beasts that had attacked them. About two in the afternoon, he caught sight of some movement in the trees on the far end of the ravine. Closing his eyes, he stilled his heart and mind, listening to the Song of the World. The discordant note felt like nails scraping down his back in painful furrows, and when he opened his eyes, he saw them.

There were three of the creatures, scuttling forward on long legs. They appeared to be a cross between a spider and a lizard, with three thick, scaled limbs on either side of their body, and a head that rose into the air from the center of their torso. Their mouths were vertical, running from the top of their head down to the middle of their chest, and there were multiple slits all along it that opened and closed, as if sniffing the air. Merrick couldn't see any eyes on the creatures, though he was far enough away that he couldn't get a good look.

What really drew his attention, however, was the monstrous beast stomping through the forest behind them. While the other scaled beasts had only been the size of a wolf, this scaled beast was the size of a grizzly, and only had four legs. It had an extra long torso that rose nearly twelve feet into the air with three hooked arms on either side that ended in claws, opening and closing sporadically as it marched along. A massive spiked tail swung behind it to act as a counterweight and it seemed to be tracking something, with the small, six-legged scaled beasts running out front, darting this way and that across the path. Suddenly, one of them let out a shriek and charged towards the woods alongside the path. A shot rang out, and a beam of rifle fire tore through the scaled beast who had shrieked, causing the other scaled beasts to let out screams of their own. They threw themselves towards the brush where the shot had originated with complete disregard and a moment later, Merrick saw another shot, this one missing, as it flashed over one of the scaled beast's heads.

Flushed out of their hiding place, two prospectors broke from the trees, sprinting up the path with all their might as the scaled beast quickly closed in behind them. The giant beast was not nearly as fast as its small companions and stomped up the path, casually brushing aside a tree that got in its way. Hearing the crack of the trunk and seeing the tree fall, Merrick began to understand what it was he had heard the day before. Carefully, he drew up his rifle. The prospectors were running up the ravine straight towards him, but Merrick was more concerned about the agile beasts behind them. He had a deep dislike for the greedy prospectors, but the unnatural scaled beast set his teeth on edge and awoke a murderous impulse in his heart. Watching the scaled beasts as they skittered this way and that, chasing after the prospectors, Merrick made a slight adjustment with his rifle and pressed his thumb against the manastone.

With a crack, the sound of the rifle echoed through the ravine, and the beam of light passed straight through a monster's body.

[Ding! Six experience points.]

Shocked by the sudden shot, one of the prospectors missed his footing and fell, landing hard on the ground and tumbling over. The other prospector turned when he saw his companion fall, trying to drag him up as the remaining scaled beast closed in. Ten feet from them, it let out a piercing shriek and leapt through the air, intending to skewer them with the talons on the end of its sharp legs. Just before it arrived, another crack sounded, and its body was pierced through, thrown to the side by a second beam of light. Putting his second rifle away, Merrick took one look at the giant scaled beast stomping up the ravine and took off running. It was likely the prospectors would be able to out pace the slower scaled beast, but Merrick wasn't about to stick around and find out.

The fact that both of the scaled beasts had given him six experience points, while the second had given him less than one indicated that they weren't, like the strangers, distinct creatures. That meant that he would have to kill a lot of them to level up. As he ran, Merrick tried to figure out his next move. Arriving at the top of the ridge, he suddenly stopped, crouching down behind a boulder. In the distance, he could see the trees shaking. There were more of the large scaled beasts directly in his path. That likely meant more of the small ones as well. It was clear the entire area was filled with them, and Merrick suddenly felt glad he had left the canyon when he did.

There were not so many, it seemed, that he wouldn't be able to slip through, and so he set his mind on that new task, passing through the mountains without getting caught by them. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed when he heard a loud wail high up above him. Turning, he looked and saw a tall, three-legged scaled beast near the top of the mountain. It was letting out a piercing shriek that carried for miles, and somehow Merrick knew that he had been seen.

Lifting his rifle to his shoulder, he took a shot, silencing the creature with a beam of pure mana. Its cry choked off, fading as it echoed around the mountains, but a quick glance down at the forest below showed that the large creatures stomping through the trees had turned in his direction. Realizing he was in trouble, Merrick quickly scanned the area before turning and sprinting up towards the peak. The last time he had been here, it had been covered in snakes, but he was hoping to find it clear now. His steps were sure and he practically flew up over the top of the mountain. Just as he had hoped, there were no snakes in sight. Clearly, the rock snakes were much smarter than he was and knew not to be out and about when the scaled beasts were hunting.

Heading up over the mountain at a rapid pace, Merrick was forced to change direction several times as he noticed signs of the scaled beasts ahead. There were more and more of them crawling all over the mountain, and as much as he wanted to try and fight them, he knew it would be foolish. When he made it over the top of the mountain and began to descend the other side, he finally felt a measure of relief and turned south, hoping to make it through the rapidly closing encirclement. Running through the woods, he kept his rifles strapped to his back and held his throwing spears in hand. Across the mountains, he could hear the echo of rifles firing, and each time the sound reverberated the scaled beasts would shift direction towards the sound.

Realizing that his only hope of getting away was avoiding using his rifles altogether, Merrick made as little noise as possible. About halfway down the mountain, he saw another one of the giant scaled beasts crashing through the woods, and saw six of the smaller spider-like monsters scuttling around it. They were directly in his path, but after a moment of hesitation, Merrick didn't slow down. As far as he could see, there were no monsters beyond them, but if he were to change direction, it was likely he would find himself sandwiched between two of the roaming groups. Instead, he decided to drive straight through them, trusting in his speed to get him past.

His feet carried him silently across the ground, and by the time one of the small scaled beasts realized he was there, he was already past it, dodging between it and one of its companions. Focusing all of his strength into his legs, Merrick bounded down the mountainside in great leaps, each one carrying him a dozen feet. With a shriek, the scaled beast rushed after him, but Merrick didn't stop, even when the others turned in his direction. He continued to run, his feet landing perfectly, allowing him to maintain his balance as he raced down the mountain, the scaled beasts spreading out as they tried to keep up.

Letting out a loud roar that shook the air, the large scaled beast stomped down the hill ponderously and was soon left far behind. Though the smaller scaled beasts were still after him, their six legs carrying them agilely over the rough terrain, Merrick did not pause. Eventually, extending the distance between him and his pursuers, he turned to the east, running along a ridge, before cutting south once again. By this time, the scaled beasts were no longer in sight, and Merrick continued to run, doing his best to confuse the trail.

He'd gotten an up-close look at them as he ran and confirmed that they did not have any eyes, but instead seemed to use their sharp sense of hearing to track their prey. It made sense to him that they didn’t use scent, as he was convinced they wouldn’t be able to smell anything over their own stench. Continuing to run through the forest, Merrick turned south once again, skirting around another mountain. The pass that would lead back towards his village lay right ahead of him, and he maintained his highest speed as he traveled towards it, only stopping when the moon was high in the sky.

Slowing to a walk, he began to look for a place to camp, when suddenly, the faint smell of smoke caught his attention. Without hesitation, Merrick threw himself off the trail, rolling into the brush, as a piercing blast of light ripped through the air. It had been so close he had felt the heat, and as he landed on the ground, he didn't stop moving. Pressing with his hands and feet against the ground, he jumped to the side like a jaguar as another blast of light tore into the earth, digging a long, scorched furrow where he had just been.

Still on his hands and feet, he scrambled behind a tree and paused. Trying to control his breath, which was coming in sharp gasps, he heard a faint curse up ahead, recognizing it as the voice of Joseph, the bearded prospector. Locating where the sound had come from, he whipped up one of his rifles and fired a shot, smashing apart the branches that the prospector had been hiding behind.

His heart pounding in his chest, Merrick moved through the brush as quietly as he could, swapping out his spent rifle for the charged one on his back. The second shot Joseph had fired had been thinner, more focused, looking like the shots fired from the pistol that Vale had carried, while the first shot had definitely come from a manatech rifle. Pausing behind a tree as he circled the spot Joseph had fired from, Merrick listened, his ears straining in the silence. When he heard a thud to one side, he didn't move, keeping his focus honed. It had sounded like wood against a tree trunk, rather than a step, and Merrick didn't take the bait as he waited for Joseph to reveal himself.