Aozaki Aoko Case File [516] (Patreon)

The poor halfling acolyte Perio was tossed aside by the yetis. The mother yeti glared fiercely at Aoko’s group, even the cub huffing at them.

Aoko almost found it funny—how had such dim monsters survived this long? Was some strange yeti god secretly protecting them?

While Aoko pondered, Simon acted. He cast Haste on Holga, Edgin cast Longstrider, and they watched Holga charge out like a juggernaut.

Seeing Holga charge, the mother yeti felt challenged. She set the cub aside and howled, meeting Holga head-on.

But a challenge rating 3 monster was no match for Holga, at least level 15 in barbarian.

In rage mode, Holga chopped off the mother yeti’s arm in one blow, and then, as the yeti flailed in pain and anger, she easily hacked it apart.

The fight ended so quickly that both Perio and Garrett were stunned by Holga’s overwhelming power.

They hadn’t realized Edgin’s party member was so fierce—what about Edgin himself…?

As Garrett’s thoughts wandered, the others turned to the shrieking yeti cub, clearly terrified—a scrawny, white-furred, horned monkey.

“It’s just a cub. Should we…?” Simon hesitated, feeling uneasy about killing a child after its mother.

As Edgin frowned, preparing to instruct Simon, a sickly green ray shot from Aoko’s fingertip, striking the cub and disintegrating it into dust—no more fear.

“In times like this, it’s best to reunite the child with its mother,” Aoko smiled. “Don’t you think?”

Simon said nothing but clearly felt bad—though he understood Aoko’s reasoning, it was hard to accept emotionally.

“Simon, yetis are born chaotic evil,” Doric comforted him. “Remember those heads in the corridor?”

“You’re right,” Simon sighed. “It was foolish of me to think otherwise. Sorry.”

“Your words show you’re human, not a yeti,” Aoko said. “Empathy is natural. But if it were a human child before a yeti, what would the yeti do?”

Without waiting for an answer, Aoko approached the shivering Perio, staff in hand. She shook the staff, its rings chiming, then bathed Perio in golden light.

Perio felt a comforting warmth wash over her, dispelling the cold and pain.

Gradually, she recovered and opened her eyes to see a beautiful woman in a pearl-white robe, staff in hand, watching her—checking her condition.

Had she died and gone to Mount Celestia?

Perio’s mind raced, but as she glanced around and saw she was still in the yeti lair with strangers, she remembered what had happened.

“Garrett! You’re alive!” Perio stood, amazed to see her guide. “Then is Alisterix…?”

“We haven’t found him yet,” Garrett shook his head. “The yeti chased me down the mountain—my old neighbor’s team found me. Alisterix ran toward the summit camp.”

“Oh, and there’s another yeti!” Perio said urgently to Aoko. “Garrett was chased by a huge male yeti, and Mojingo was killed by it—it ate him right in front of me!”

“Don’t worry,” Edgin soothed her. “We can easily deal with the male yeti. Do you know where it is now?”

“It…should be out hunting,” Perio replied, calming down a bit. “It eats a lot and has to bring food for the mother and cub, so it’s often away.”

“And sometimes its prey is goats—and sometimes people.”

People here meant all the humanoids of Faerûn: humans, tieflings, dwarves, elves, etc. The yetis weren’t picky, and the male had a habit of collecting heads.

Normal yetis, like the one Holga just killed, were only challenge rating 3—not beyond what Perio and Garrett’s group could handle.

But the male was different. Perio described it as three times Edgin’s height, with not just the typical freezing stare, but also a cold breath attack.

Goliath Mojingo died from that attack.

“We’d better hunt down the male yeti,” Aoko said. “It’s far stronger than other creatures here. Regular adventurers can’t handle it, and if left alone, it might attack the village of Caer-Konig.”

Holga’s Intelligence was about 11—sharper than most humans, who average 10. Adult yetis have about 8 or 9, and the mutant male might be even smarter.

“You’re right,” Jasrah growled. “Plus, we just killed its mate and child—it will definitely seek revenge, and with yetis being as smart as people, that’s too dangerous for Caer-Konig!”