Nay and Nom crept forward up the mountain slope. They were in the Blue-Spotted Frost Cat’s territory, and for this hunt, they took Quincy’s advice and they hunted as pairs. They were all appropriately Buffed and spelled up with Nay’s treats.
About fifty yards to the east, Tuk-Tuk and Lain were high up in the alpine trees, using the branches as hunting stands. Tuk-Tuk had spotted the cat somehow, which had some type of camouflage ability to blend into the mountainous terrain.
Ilyawraith and Quincy were somewhere in the treetops above, observing the hunt.
They had used Martygan’s map to reach Bronwyn’s Cairn, the lone mountain for dozens of miles. They were in an area called Wyndrop, a series of natural switchbacks at the base of the mountain’s Southern end. This was the hunting ground for the Blue-Spotted Frost Cat and it had a den somewhere nearby.
Near the top of the mountain was Celyne’s Lair, which was where the Ice Harpy dwelt. Reaching the cave entrance would normally be treacherous, but since they had Ilyawraith with them, it would be trivial. But since both her and Quincy showed concern about this winged monster, Nay knew that trying to slay it wouldn’t be trivial at all.
But, one monster at a time. Today’s agenda was bagging this cat.
Everyone was patched into Ilyawraith’s party and her Whispering Wind party line. At least that’s how Nay thought of her ability to link them all in to a magical communication network. A party line.
Tuk-Tuk whispered, “Fifty yards north…make sure to stay downwind…we’re heading north as well…”
[Marrow Detected]
Nay gripped the crossbow and pushed forward as quietly as she could, using the spruce and cedar trees as cover. Some of the trees were a flora she didn’t recognize, huge with white wood and blue leaves, sentinels surrounded by the other evergreens. Nom was curled around her torso, his top half sticking off her shoulder. He was on alert, scanning for the predator cat.
With his Disintegration Ray, it would be like having her own personal shoulder cannon like in those Predator movies her dad had loved so much.
Note to self. Either ‘git gud’ with the crossbow or explore other ranged weapons.
To the east, she caught a glimpse off Tuk-Tuk and Lain jumping from branch to branch.
Lain whispered across the party line, “I’ll shift into elk form soon and make myself visible to distract it. Be ready to pursue.”
That was Nay’s idea. They would use one of themselves as bait again, but Lain in her mobile form had the ability to keep her distance. And since they would be working as pairs, this hunt should go smoother than with the Tundra Wolf.
But the plan went to shit when the red dot representing the cat disappeared off Nay’s mini-map. She muttered. “The hell? It just disappeared.”
A few moments later and Nay heard a crack above them. One of the branches had shifted and was vibrating like a door spring. Her eyes grew wide as she saw something ripple in the air above them.
The Blue-Spotted Frost Cat appeared as if suddenly de-cloaking.
It had some type of Stealth ability!
It snarled like a panther as eight-hundred pounds of cat flew at them, claws and fangs ready to rend flesh. Nay didn’t even have time to fire her crossbow.
She felt her shoulder grow warm and red light flashed in her peripheral vision. Nom’s Disintegration Ray beamed forth striking the cat in the face. A feral shriek pierced her ears. The force sent the cat spinning end over end off to the side, where it disappeared into the brush in an explosion of smoke, ice and pine needles.
“I’m not going to lie,” Nom said. “That felt extremely satisfying.”
Nay saw the red dot of the creature on her mini-map. Then it disappeared again.
“We don’t know if it’s dead yet, though,” Nay said. “But it was a great shot. You just saved us from a surprise attack.”
Lain’s urgent voice came over the party line. “What was that? Is everyone okay?”
“We’re okay for now,” Nay said. “Nom just shot it but we don’t have eyes on it at the moment. Hurry up and get here.”
“Be careful everyone,” Nom said. “It just attacked us and we didn’t see it at first. I think it has an ability where it can turn invisible. Or at the very least, blend into the surroundings.”
“Don’t wander too far,” Lain said. “We’re on our way.”
Lain could track their arrival on her mini-map. She creeped through the brush. The air smelled like burned hair. There was also an ammonia-like wreak. Did the thing piss itself?
At the foot of one of the white trees with blue leaves, the snow was melted and tinged with a red slush. This must be where the cat landed and came to, the heat radiating from its body melting the snow. The red was its blood. And the creature had left tracks in the snow.
It was still alive.
Not only had it left paw prints, but its blood was staining the snow.
“Here, kitty kitty kitty,” Nom whispered.
They followed the trail perpendicular to the mountain, walking sideways across the slope. The paw prints and blood trail ended at a ring of the mystic white trees with blue leaves. If Nay didn’t know any better, she would assume this place had some type of druidic significance.
“This place looks cool,” Nom said, keeping his voice low. “A killer place to perform some nature rituals.”
“Stay frosty,” Nay said. “It has to be nearby.”
“I’m always frosty,” Nom said.
They walked into the ring of trees and Nay turned in a circle, sweeping the area. Her mini-map still showed no sign of the creature. Although Lain and Tuk-Tuk were getting closer.
Nay heard something dropping behind them. A melting icicle? She turned around and saw red droplets splatter the snow. There was blood dripping off one of the branches above them.
The air rippled, the creature de-cloaking. The Blue-Spotted Frost Cat looked back at them. It looked like a panther, except for its coloration. It was white with an ice-blue pattern of spots. Half its face and neck were charred, the hair singed completely off. Its flesh ruined with fresh scorch marks from Nom’s Disintegration Ray. Its eyes were black and it hate-stared at them with an uncanny intelligence.
It snarled and Nay felt her shoulder turn warm again. Nom’s Disintegration Ray lasered at the cat and it leapt to another branch above them, avoiding the ray. Nay, anticipating its movement, fired her crossbow. The bolt hit it in the shoulder. It shrieked. She had been aiming for the heart.
“You gotta work on your aim,” Nom said.
“Me?!”
“I’ve hit it once!”
“So have I!”
At that the cat leapt at them and that’s when a majestic elk rode into the circle of trees, Tuk-Tuk atop, firing his bow. His arrow flew true. It struck the cat mid-air in the chest, piercing its heart.
The Blue-Spotted Frost Cat fell in the snow, its limbs going limp.
The elk circled around and Tuk-Tuk hopped from its back, joining them. The elk shifted into Lain.
“Now, that’s how you shoot,” Nom said. “The arrow have gone straight through its heart.”
The monster pawed at the air, letting out a death rattle.
[Quest Complete!]
[Slay the Blue-Spotted Frost Cat Completed!]
[You have been rewarded Vigor Points]
“A clean kill,” Lain said.
Golden vigama flew into Nay and she also saw some fly into Tuk-Tuk and Lain. Yet, none for Nom. But then she remembered that he didn’t use vigor.
Ilyawraith and Quincy flew down on her cloud and landed.
“Much better teamwork than last time!” Ilyawraith said. “No one got injured. Everyone worked together and did their jobs.”
“See,” Quincy said to her, “I told you they would learn.”
“Someone has to train me with ranged weapons,” Nay said. “I don’t think the crossbow is for me.”
“You’ve got a Twelve Tribesman right next to you,” Quincy said. “They are the finest bowmen from anywhere.”
“It’s true,” Lain said. “Who do you think teach the Gloom Rangers? The bow trainer at Fort Nixxiom is a Twelve Tribesman. And it’s always been that way in the history of Scarwatch.”
“I don’t know if a bow will be my thing either,” Nay said. “But I feel like I should at least get decent with a ranged weapon. Trying to hunt monsters without being proficient at a ranged weapon kind of sucks. Does this world have guns?”
Everyone but Nom just stared at her.
“What’s a gun?” Lain finally asked.
Nay thought about how to explain it. “It’s kind of like a crossbow, where you pull a trigger and the mechanism fires off a projectile. But instead of a bolt, it’s a bullet.”
Still more confusion.
“A bullet is like a little slug of metal,” Nay said. “They make all different kinds. Some, like hollow points, are designed to pierce the body and then fragment once they enter so there’s like an explosion that just shreds all the soft tissue inside.”
“Interesting,” Quincy said. “And these are better than a bow how?”
“Well, imagine a device kind of shaped like your spyglass,” Nay said. “But when you pull the trigger, there’s a mini explosion that ejects a bullet out of the tube. And it flies so fast your eye can’t possibly track it. It has so much power it could pierce through armor and come out of the back of a person.”
“Are they magic?” Ilyawraith said.
“No,” Nay said. “More science. There’s this substance called gunpowder. And when you pull the trigger, there’s a chemical reaction that causes an explosion that creates the force to fire the bullet.”
Tuk-Tuk shook his head in wonder. “Your world sounds dangerous.”
“Well, it can be,” Nay said. “But this world is way more dangerous.”
“Alright, enough talk,” Quincy said. “Let’s get the carcass back to camp.” He looked up at the peak of the mountain. There were dark clouds moving from the north to gather over the mountain.
“You worried about the harpy?” Nom said.
“Worry might be too strong of a word,” Quincy said. “We can get back to jawin’ at base camp. I find this whole mountain unpleasant.”
/////////
Their base camp was in a glen on flat ground. There was a bubbling brook that flowed from a stream that started near the mountain peak. There was a trench nearby that had the ruins of old mine tracks and mining equipment.
“The maugrim used to occupy this mountain long ago,” Ilyawraith said. “They mined it for silver ore. The site was also the site for a battle with frost giants and their kin. There’s a lot of history here.”
“Good stuff,” Nom said. “How’s that Marrow coming along, guys?”
Nay and Tuk-Tuk had strung up the carcass of the Blue-Spotted Frost Cat and were butchering it for Tuk-Tuk and his people. But the Marrow was the whole loin of the cat. When they cut into it Nay saw that part of the meat giving off blue Marrow motes.
She scanned it with her Chef’s passive.
[Loin Marrow of the Blue-Spotted Frost Cat]
“You know,” Nay said, “I’ve heard cougar meat is a lot like pork.”
“A cougar?” Lain said.
“Another big cat,” Nay said. “A lot like this thing.”
She consulted the Jezabelle Childe cookbook to see if there was a recipe section for predator cats. Surprisingly, there was.
When cooking the meat of a Predator Cat, any of your favorite pork recipes will do.
“So, I’m thinking Frost Cat chops,” Nay said. “A little salt and pepper, a little olive oil, a cast iron pan and some heat, we’re good to go.”
“I’ve already got the sides going,” Nom said. “Roast potatoes with some crystal berry jam!”
“We don’t happen to have any greens do we?” Lain said.
“Trying to stay regular, huh?” Nom said.
Nay rolled her eyes at him. Then turned back to Lain. “I’ll throw together a salad.”
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