We Hunt Monsters

  Book Five

  Aaron Oster

  For the little girl who made me a father.

  Contents

  Prologue

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  8

  9

  10

  11

  12

  13

  14

  15

  16

  17

  18

  19

  20

  21

  22

  23

  24

  25

  26

  27

  28

  29

  30

  31

  32

  33

  34

  35

  36

  37

  38

  39

  40

  41

  42

  43

  44

  45

  46

  47

  48

  49

  50

  51

  52

  53

  54

  55

  56

  57

  58

  59

  60

  61

  62

  63

  64

  65

  66

  67

  68

  69

  70

  71

  72

  73

  74

  75

  76

  77

  78

  Epilogue

  Afterword

  Prologue

  Water lapped at the ship’s sides, the battered and scarred planks showing the rough trip this vessel had had at sea. There’d been several close calls during the storm that had sunk over fifty other ships, but the passengers aboard this particular boat were hardy, and it was thanks to them that they had made it where so many others had failed.

  The captain of the Waterloo wrung his floppy hat, still soaked from the downpour they’d only just managed to slip, as his ship pulled into the harbor in the Eerie-controlled city of Indunport.

  “My thanks to you and your friends, miss,” the goblin said, inclining his head to the woman standing on the deck. “Without you, we wouldn’t have survived.”

  “Think nothing of it, captain,” the woman said, her cold voice sending shivers down his spine. “So long as we’re compensated for our aid, I’ll consider us even.”

  The captain’s throat bobbed nervously, but he nodded all the same, removing a small sack, heavy with large gold bars, from his inventory. A massive woman – who more likely than not had some orcish blood in her – took the sack wordlessly, upending it into her palm before nodding and storing it back in the sack.

  “A pleasure doing business with you,” the smaller woman said, pulling a luxurious-looking fur from her inventory and draping it around her shoulders.

  The ship bumped against the dock, and without so much as a glance back, she stepped lithely off the ship, her massive lackey following behind and a group of assorted men and women tailing them at a respectful distance.

  “Hold it right there!” a hobgoblin said, running to block their path. “All new persons who enter Indunport must…”

  “Must what?” the woman asked, turning cold eyes on the hobgoblin.

  Normally, this would have been enough, but the hobgoblin was surrounded by his comrades, from whom he seemed to draw strength.

  “You must be searched and charged all appropriate taxes for entering into our…” the hobgoblin trailed off as the woman shifted her fur, revealing a bare arm with a twining tattoo running up its length.

  The hobgoblin traced it all the way to the shoulder, where the eye of the Glutton sat, blazing in all its terrifying glory. The woman shifted the fur back into place, giving the hobgoblin another hard stare, and this time, he quailed under her gaze.

  “What…?” he swallowed past the lump in his throat. “What brings you to Indunport, ma’am?”

  “That’s my business,” Jade said. “Now, if you’re quite done posturing, I have business to attend.”

  “Y-yes of c-course. I-if you need anything a-at all, just-”

  Jade walked away, ignoring the hobgoblin’s terrified stammering. Normally, she’d have enjoyed seeing the terror in his eyes, lorded it over him for a bit. Perhaps she would have had Yolanda break a few fingers to teach him a lesson, but that blasted storm had thrown them off schedule enough as it was, and by now, her quarry could have disappeared, causing the trail to go cold once more.

  It had been a nightmare trying to track Keith and Cayla. In fact, the latter was basically a ghost. It was like she didn’t even exist. Keith, on the other hand, seemed to have made a bit of a name for himself as a famous monster hunter. Rumor had it – though she still couldn’t be sure if this was true – that he had killed a World Monster. Jade very much doubted that he had, but the rumors were troubling. They spoke of a powerful fighter, which was why, when she’d finally discovered his whereabouts, she’d decided to come personally to oversee his capture. Or, if he was too dangerous to take alive, his death.

  “Have them spread out,” Jade said as she walked through the streets of Indunport, making a beeline for the Talisman, an inn where she’d be able to gather information.

  After all, she knew Keith was on the continent, but Beastland was vast. Knowing he was here was like knowing he was somewhere in Humania. Yolanda slowed, falling back to the crowd of fighters and assassins she’d brought along with her to pass on her orders.

  Jade’s fists clenched beneath her furs, though she maintained her outward appearance of calm arrogance. Their Shimmerdust trade in the larger cities was crumbling. Their emergency stock had run out, and while the Glutton’s temporary solution had worked for a while, it hadn’t really given the people what they wanted.

  Worse, the Royal Guild continued to crack down on them and had managed to successfully raid several of their stores, setting them back even further. The logical conclusion was that it was the other one, Cayla, who was responsible, but she got the feeling that there was more going on than met the eye.

  On top of that, in the absence of a suitable drug, their customers were doing the unthinkable. They were going straight. The Royal Guild’s alchemists had been hard at work developing antidotes and detoxification potions to eliminate the poisonous and crippling effects of their Shimmerdust. If things continued going as they were, then by the time she actually got a new shipment in, their customer base would be gone, and she would be out of a job.

  In this line of work, that only meant one thing.

  Jade resisted the urge to reach over to touch her arm, the one that showed the status of her station. Just as the eye of the Glutton imbued terror into all who saw it and elevated her in the underworld, it was also an insurance policy. Should she fail, the Glutton could end her at any time. She had a way out of it, of course, but she didn’t fancy losing an arm. Additionally, if the Glutton wanted her dead, she knew her chances of survival would be slim at best, and a life on the run didn’t suit her.

  Yolanda returned just in time to push the door of the Talisman open for her, her brutish strength causing the wooden frame to tremble as it slammed into the opposite wall.

  Eyes of all races and monster species turned on her as she strode in, confidence oozing off her in waves. Compared to everyone around her, she was tiny – not including the goblins – but physical size didn’t really matter at her level.

  Sure enough, everyone was quick to look away, sensing that she wasn’t someone to be trifled with. Jade walked over to the far side of the bar, Yolanda clearing some of the riffraff out of the way so she could sit. There was some general grumbling from the other patrons, but no arguments were made. A single look at Yolanda was enough to dissuade anyone from trying anything.

  The bartender, a squat hobgoblin with an eyepatch, slowly approached, looking nervously between Yolanda and the much smaller woman sitting at the bar. For someone in his line of work, it was easy to tell who was the more dangerous of the two, and he was clearly wary of Jade.

  “Is there something I can help you with?” he asked.

  To his credit, his voice didn’t quaver. Perhaps his interactions with the more dangerous elements of the underworld had hardened him to situations like this. Or maybe he had a powerful backer and was confident he would be kept safe. Regardless, Jade didn’t plan on killing him unless he gave grave offense. Walking into someone else’s territory and killing their staff was akin to declaring war, and right now, she needed allies, not more enemies.

  “Your information broker,” Jade said. “I need to speak with them.”

  The hobgoblin’s eyes flicked to the back of the room, and Yolanda silently left to fetch them.

  “I would also like a bottle of Glitzy Red,” Jade said, placing a small gold bar on the counter. “And make it a good one.”

  The hobgoblin swallowed nervously but nodded, leaving the gold where it was and disappearing into a back room. He would only take the money once she had tasted the bottle and approved of its contents.

  “You know, there are nicer ways of getting my attention,” the broker – a rough-looking craggoblin – said as Yolanda plunked him in the seat next to her.

  It was always hard to tell if they were male or female by sight alone. Even when they spoke, it was difficult, but Jade had met enough of their kind to tell the difference, and this one was most certainly male.

  “I know,” Jade said. “But I wanted you to know that we mean business.”

  The craggoblin narrowed his eyes as Jade shifted her arm forward, allowing the edge of her tattoo to slip from beneath the furs.

  “What’s someone like you doing in Beastland?” he asked.

  “I’m looking for someone,” Jade said, pulling her hand back. “A human by the name of Keith. He’s a monster hunter, but that’s all I have to go on. I can give you his likeness if you want.”

  “No need,” the craggoblin said, grimacing. “The Keith we know of is a sortie, not human, but my guess is that they’re one and the same.”

  “Has he given you some trouble as well?” Jade asked with a raised eyebrow.

  The craggoblin opened his mouth to speak but paused as the bartender returned with a dusty glass bottle and a single glass. He popped the cork in front of them, then fitted the opening with a small, glowing ring.

  He held the open mouth of the bottle to the glass and poured a small amount of the rich, purple-red liquid into it. A rich aroma wafted into the air as the hobgoblin poured, tilting the bottle back and placing it on the counter next to the glass.

  Jade reached out, snagging the stem delicately. She sniffed at the wine, partially to enjoy its aroma and to use a detection skill just in case someone had decided to try slipping something else in. The wine was clean. She took a small sip, then nodded to the bartender, who bowed at the waist and took the gold.

  Jade took another sip, then turned back to the craggoblin and raised an eyebrow.

  “We have a wide network of informants and agents working across the continent. One of our agents was hired by one of the other clans to assist in some espionage. There’s something big coming soon, and they wanted to turn a few enemies against one another. Unfortunately, this monster hunter of yours interfered and things didn’t exactly go as planned.”

  “Can you tell me where he is now?” Jade asked.

  “I don’t know where he is exactly, but I’m pretty sure I know where he’s going,” the craggoblin replied. “But before I tell you…”

  Yolanda dropped the sack of gold bars onto the counter, the very same one they’d taken from the ship’s captain upon their arrival. The craggoblin took the sack, peeked inside, then made it vanish.

  “He’s likely going where everyone else on the continent is, to the Steepled Wilds, where the Nemesis Dungeon will soon rise. More likely than not, he’ll be working with the Eerie clan, and he’ll be accompanied by a torkgoblin fae by the name of Bridget.”

  “Do you have a map?” Jade asked.

  The craggoblin placed one on the counter.

  “A word of advice,” the goblin said as he slid off his chair. “Take heed when approaching this man. He’s extremely dangerous.”

  Jade offered the goblin a cold smile.

  “So am I,” she replied.

  The goblin scuttled off as Jade lifted her glass once again, taking another slow sip. Now that she knew where Keith was likely going to be, she had all she needed to bring him down.

  She was in no rush. This wine was quite good, and Yolanda would be driving. She could afford to indulge for a few moments more before getting back to business.

  ***

  Mick sat in his office, a group of the roughest-looking monsters he’d ever had the displeasure of laying eyes on standing before him. They all shared a single trait – one and all, they were hardened killers.

  “I want him alive,” Mick said, his chins flapping as he gesticulated to the image of the man plastered on his wall. “That’s the only way you get your pay.”

  “How alive?” asked a skeletal troll, her voice rasping and whistling through her jagged and misaligned teeth.

  “Breathing,” Mick said. “Do whatever you need to in order to make sure he’s alive, though. We can’t heal a corpse.”

  The group nodded then began filing out, leaving only one hobgoblin behind. Unlike the others, she looked less like a hardened killer and more like a bureaucrat.

  “Those barbarians won’t be able to get the job done,” she said, crossing her arms. “I take it that’s why you wanted to meet?”

  Mick’s wide mouth split into an ugly grin.

  “You have insider information,” Mick said. “All I want is the human. I could care less about clan politics.”

  “I want half,” the woman said.

  “You’ll get your ten percent and be happy with it,” Mick snarled, his voice turning ugly.

  “You’re getting a king’s ransom in gold,” she replied smoothly. “I refuse to take less than half. If I were you, I’d take it. All you have to do is kick your feet up, while I do all the heavy lifting.”

  “Fifteen percent,” Mick said. “And not a scrap of gold more. Otherwise, you can beat it and I’ll find someone else willing to take it.”

  The hobgoblin frowned. That was only seventy-five large gold for her part, and she would be doing all the work.

  “Twenty,” she finally said. “And I won’t go any lower. I don’t need to convince you of my usefulness, or you wouldn’t have bothered calling me. Take it or leave it.”

  The two of them stared at one another for several long moments, neither seeming to be willing to budge on their end. Finally, Mick threw his arms up in defeat.

  “Fine,” he growled. “You’ll get your twenty percent. But the girl will be included, and I want her alive as well.”

  “Deal,” the woman said, hiding a grin.

  She’d come in here fully expecting Mick to offer her ten percent, but she knew her value. A hundred large gold bars would be enough for her to disappear for good. She’d get off the continent and find somewhere safe and protected to live out her days in luxury.

  “Good,” Mick said, leaning back. “Now get out of my office.”

  The woman did just that, exiting the office and leaving the hobgoblin to brood to himself. He hadn’t wanted to give her so much, but that blasted woman knew how to play the game. She knew how useful she was, especially when it came to this.

  He briefly wondered if she’d deliver in person, this way, he could kill her and keep all the money. He dismissed that idea almost immediately. She was too smart to fall for something like that. Chances were better than not that once she had them, she’d arrange a drop point, and if she sniffed anything close to a trap, she’d be gone faster than they could act and the price would go up.

  Still, four-hundred large gold was a hefty sum to collect, seeing as he wouldn’t really need to do anything.

  Mick smiled to himself as he reached down, lifting the still-bloody arm of the hobgoblin who’d dared to laugh behind his back earlier and taking a big bite. Most of his kind preferred goblin meat – cooked goblin meat, that was. He was a different animal entirely, and to Mick, nothing was quite as sweet as the raw flesh of one of his own kind.

  1

  Keith let out a low groan as he stretched to one side, letting out a long breath as tight muscles pulled, trying to force him into a neutral pose. He ignored the discomfort, just as he had been doing with all his previous stretches. He counted silently to himself, extending the stretch slowly as he did. He only relaxed once his count was complete, then rose to his feet, shaking his arms and legs to get the blood flowing once more.

  He then dropped to the ground and began doing push-ups, shoving upward and clapping twice in between each rep. A knife flew at him as he dropped down and he reversed the motion sharply, shoving himself higher to avoid the blade.

  “Do I really have to keep helping?” Bob groaned as Keith dropped back and continued, the monkey waddling across the room to retrieve the makeshift blade.

  “You’ve gotten too fat for your own good, Bob,” Keith said as he continued to do his push-ups. “Helping me exercise will help burn off all those extra calories you’ve been packing on.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Bob said, pausing for a moment to catch his breath before lifting the knife. “I am in peak physical condition.”

  Keith paused for a moment, looking at the small, rotund monkey standing near the wall. Bob had nearly tripled in size since they’d first met. He was anything but fit.

  “There’s a terrifying monster that’s just busted into the room,” Keith said, continuing his push-ups. “Go find a suitable hiding place, or you’ll end up dead.”

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50