the hunter and the hunted (1)

"Patrick? What are you smiling about? Did something good happen?"

"Sure did Youm, I feel like I'm about to get a nice level up for one of my core skills."

I walk into the large hall and look around. Lots of important people around. I'm not familiar with most of them. Youm is the only one considered my friend. He walks over with his large bow slung over his shoulder while smiling cheerfully at the good news I just told him about.

"Really? I'm envious. I can't remember the last time a core skill of my divine huntsmen class leveled up. You crusaders just have to keep crusading and your skills just grow like weeds."

"Or maybe, just maybe we don't sit on our asses as much as you. The divine huntsmen have pretty much been inactive for the past few years."

"You know that our hunt master is just one step away from being recognized as a paragon. We can't afford any mishaps so most members stay in the cabin. Once we successfully become a hall we will return to active duty. But you guys have the same issue, right? You crusaders have also been keeping guard for your order master while he tries to take that last step."

I don't answer but it is true. Like the divine huntsmen, the crusaders have been less active. The benefits they could receive once acknowledged as a hall made them believe it was worth it. However, unlike the divine huntsmen who have all but disappeared safe for a few young ones, the crusaders still dive into dungeons at a regular rate.

"So we are blessed by the presence of the storm crusader himself. Weren't there supposed to be three of you?"

A lady in a tight combat dress with a long cane in either hand jeers at me. This is Belladonna, a combat sorceress who excels in close range burst spells.

"Gerry had something come up on short notice. And Jericho… he's a no show yet again. Afraid you'll have to do with me."

"You're presence is much appreciated. We are glad that at least one crusader followed our invitation to this gathering."

A short but stout man who is dressed like a military officer approaches to thank me for my presence. He's from the government that organized this and acts as their representative.

"So you can finally tell us why you dragged us out and into this dungeon?"

A man who's hiding in the shadows at the edge of the room asks tersely while giving me a suspicious look. He's a loner who's almost paranoid of everything so that's just part of the course.

The government officer looks around at the seven people who have gathered here, excluding himself.

"We are here to hunt a monster that has been hunting adventurers for a while now. There have been no survivors and barely any traced but a moving spike in death count across multiple large dungeons in the same region makes us believe it's a single monster. We know it can absolutely steam roll anything below level 200 and it's confirmed to be able to use space magic. It might have also killed Dawn blade, though that is just an educated guess based on a diviner noticing his sudden death and the death toll in that dungeon sky rocketing. We believe that it is inside this dungeon now. No reward is out of the question so long as this monster dies today."

I force myself to drop the smile that's been stuck on my face. Looking around seriously, I estimate the strength of this group.

Dawn blade was strong but still died without too much of a struggle. The government not finding any real traces of the fight is very telling as to how one sided it was.

However, each person here is as strong or stronger than Dawn blade and unlike him who works alone, the people here will work together when the situation calls for it.

Seven individuals above level 300 make for a terrifying combat team. But that is only if they end end up working together.

"Dawn blade is dead?"

"No, he can't have died to a monster!"

Two people start freaking out as they hear that Dawn blade has been killed. They are predictably the two weakest members of the group. Both of them are only a few levels beyond level 300. They aren't any stronger than Dawn blade was so they are also the mostly to die.

"Mr. Loman, as a guardian at your level you shouldn't be worried about dying. Your constitution reaches an insane level if you go all out! And you miss Ivonne, as a flame kissed druid you are a valuable asset to the team and will be protected. As for the others, I hope you can all quickly share your name and class so everyone knows who we are dealing with."

Since most people hesitate on who should go first, I start.

"Patrick, stormy crusader, I specialize in offense, terrain control and group buffs."

I purposefully say a bit more than needed. I wonder if the others will follow along with my example.

"Youm, divine huntsmen, I specialize in long and mid range attacks that contain a hint of divine power."

Youm immediately follows my example and thereby increases the pressure on the others. If they say anything less now, they'll seem like they are hiding something. And in combat teams like these that are thrown together on short notice, trust is of paramount importance.

"Belladonna, combat sorceress extraordinaire, I like short range burst spells and can pull off a few large scale area of effect spells."

"John, umbral crossbowman, I can hide in shadows and use a crossbow."

Paranoid as ever, John says something that really means nothing. He probably sees every member of this group as a potential threat.

"Petra, my class is called sky pirate queen. I usually fight with my crew but when I'm alone, I act as a fast mobile strike unit. I'm at my best if we are in wide open spaces so if we can pull the fight to a place like that, I can release my full prowess."