Fire swept across the charcoal yard. Ren threw himself behind the kiln, heat rolling over the stone beside his face until the flames finally died.
The Cinderpod’s stalk turned toward him, orange light gathering inside. Ren moved before it could fire again.
He thrust at the nearest gap in its shell.
The creature twisted. The spearhead struck one of the charcoal plates instead.
-11 HP
Ren pulled the spear back.
"Eleven?"
Nine silver for eleven damage was offensive. Then he saw the mark. The spear had barely chipped the plate. The glowing seam beside it looked vulnerable.
The Cinderpod’s stalk turned toward him again.
Ren closed the distance before it could fire again and drove the spear into the glowing gap.
Keen Bite F activated.
-25 HP
The point sank deep.
Better.
The Cinderpod jerked sideways and nearly tore the spear from his hands.
Ren pulled it free and backed away.
Orange light brightened inside the stalk.
He moved left.
Fire followed. The edge caught his arm.
-12 HP
Burning - 3 seconds
-3 HP
-3 HP
-3 HP
Vagrant - HP: 94/115
Ren hissed and stumbled behind the kiln. Twenty-one total. He’d only caught the edge. Thirty-eight for a direct hit suddenly sounded believable.
Heat bit through his sleeve and into the skin beneath it. His fingers tightened around the spear while the burning status kept ticking.
Three seconds was not long. It felt longer when his arm was on fire.
The last tick vanished. The pain dropped with it, leaving a dull sting behind.
Ren flexed his hand.
"I preferred the rams."
Roots scraped across dirt on the other side of the kiln. The Cinderpod came around after him.
Ren met it before the stalk could aim. This time he aimed right between the plates. His spear punched into another orange seam.
Keen Bite F activated.
-24 HP
A crack split across the plate above it.
The Cinderpod recoiled and the crack widened as the creature moved. Orange light pulsed beneath the damaged shell.
There.
The stalk lowered toward him.
Ren shifted aside as fire erupted past his shoulder, then drove the spear into the cracked section and ripped the plate loose.
A fist-sized knot of glowing tissue pulsed beneath it.
The Cinderpod tried to turn.
Ren didn’t give it a chance. He thrust through the exposed core.
Critical Hit
Keen Bite F activated.
-72 HP
Cinderpod slain.
+30 XP
Level 3 - 54/750 XP
Kiln Trouble: 1/3
The creature collapsed. Its orange seams faded from yellow to red, then black.
A familiar window appeared.
Plunder available.
Choose one:
Fire Affinity F
Affinity
Grants access to F-rank Fire skills and techniques.
Ember Jet F
Active Combat Skill
Release a short burst of flame.
Charcoal Shell F
Combat Passive
Reduces physical damage while stationary.
Ren stopped at the first option.
Ember Jet was one attack.
Fire Affinity opened an entire school.
He selected it without hesitation.
Plunder successful.
Acquired: Fire Affinity F
Another window appeared.
Plunder Affinity Slots: 0/1
Equip Fire Affinity F?
Ren accepted.
The channel began. Ten seconds later, warmth spread through his chest and down both arms.
Fire Affinity F equipped.
Plunder Affinity Slots: 1/1
Fire skill access unlocked.
Ren lifted his free hand. He concentrated.
Nothing happened.
He pointed at the dead Cinderpod.
Still nothing.
A smaller notification appeared.
No compatible Fire skill learned.
Ren stared at it.
"So I stole permission."
Something scraped behind the next kiln.
"Fine. I’ll steal the spells later."
The second Cinderpod came around the stone already glowing. Fire swept across the yard.
Ren took cover behind the kiln. He waited for the burst to end, stepped out and drove the spear into one of the lower seams.
The creature twisted away and Ren pressed closer. He was mid-thrust when the stalk swept across him at point-blank range.
The fire caught him across the shoulder.
-29 HP
Burning - 3 seconds
-3 HP
-3 HP
-3 HP
Vagrant - HP: 56/115
Thirty-eight. So that was what the other player had meant. Fuck, that hurts.
Ren staggered behind the kiln. His shoulder burned hard enough that his grip slipped down the spear shaft. He clenched his teeth until the status cleared.
Once had been educational. Twice was becoming a habit.
He stopped trying to fight the Cinderpod in open ground. The kilns blocked fire perfectly well, so Ren made the creature chase him around one instead.
Every time the stalk discharged into stone, he stepped around the opposite side and attacked a seam.
The Cinderpod never got a clean line on him again.
A plate cracked. Ren tore it loose, then drove the spear through the exposed core.
Critical Hit
Keen Bite F activated.
Cinderpod slain.
+30 XP
Level 3 - 84/750 XP
Kiln Trouble: 2/3
The third Cinderpod was already scraping its way between the kilns.
Ren moved before it reached him. No testing the plates. No standing in front of the fire. He used the kiln again.
The first burst struck stone.
Ren came around the side, stabbed a seam and moved behind the kiln.
The Cinderpod turned. Another burst hit the kiln and another thrust found the same gap.
The plate cracked.
Ren struck it again. It broke away, revealing the glowing core beneath it.
The Cinderpod’s stalk swung toward him. Ren drove the spear forward first.
Critical Hit
Keen Bite F activated.
Cinderpod slain.
+30 XP
Level 3 - 114/750 XP
Kiln Trouble: 3/3
Objective Complete.
Ren pulled the spear free. His shoulder still hurt. His new affinity still couldn’t produce fire on its own.
Great. I finally got Fire Affinity and I’m still the one being cooked. Mixed afternoon.
He waited until nothing else crawled out from behind the kilns, then took out his harvesting knife.
The charcoal plates were brittle once the creatures died. The glowing tissue inside cooled into dense orange-black knots that came loose with careful cuts.
By the third corpse, he knew where to put the blade.
Butchering XP +120
Novice - 120/10,000
Cinderpod Husk x7
Ember Gland x3
Forty Butchering XP per corpse. Ten thousand still looked ridiculous.
Ren stored the materials and headed back to Aldern. His HP recovered steadily on the walk.
The charcoal worker was still near the commission board when Ren returned.
The man looked at the scorched sleeve.
"Got burned."
"Repeatedly."
"You killed them?"
"Also repeatedly."
A notification appeared.
Quest Complete: Kiln Trouble
Reward: 70 Copper
+80 XP
Level 3 - 194/750 XP
Ren closed the window.
Noise rose from the other end of the board. Players were moving toward it fast enough that several people started complaining before they even knew what they were trying to see.
A hunter pushed through the crowd and nailed a fresh notice over three smaller commissions.
Someone read the first line aloud.
"Rare?"
That got everyone closer.
Ren waited until two players moved aside. Then he read it.
Emergency Bounty: Redjaw, Briar King
Rare Monster
Level: 13
Last sighted: Briarwash Wood
Several hunting parties have been attacked along the western charcoal paths.
Bounty: 2 Gold
Additional payment for recovered materials.
The crowd erupted.
"Two gold?"
"Level thirteen."
"We need a tank."
"We need five tanks."
"Shut up and invite me."
Someone was already shouting for healers. Another player offered silver for anyone who knew the exact sighting location. A group in matching blue tabards left at a run.
Ren read the notice again.
Level thirteen. He was level three.
Two gold.
At the launch rate he had just learned, that bounty alone was worth sixty dollars. And yet, Ren stepped away from the board.
"Absolutely not."
He walked three steps, then stopped.
Someone behind him was still offering silver for Redjaw’s exact location. Two gold for killing it was ridiculous. Getting paid to find it was considerably less ridiculous.
He headed for the western gate.