By the time they were done, half the sheep had fled and the other half had dissolved into mana particles, their loot safely stored in her bag and away from the slowly dying fire.
"Ok, well, not exactly as planned, but one more beast for my quest is done." With only two more beasts to finish off the quest, she was almost there.
She was able to level up both Beast Command and Bond Healing bringing the former to LVL 3 and the latter to LVL 2. Not too excited about having to heal, since it meant her beasts having to be hurt, it would help her advance her class. She also gained good amount of XP for the beast bank.
{Beast Bank Balance: 5,746/6400xp}
As they made their way back through the grasslands, Sam kept an eye out for red dot enemies, while looking for the caravan. The most probable cause for the caravan to have gone missing were, bandits or beast attack. Keeping that in mind she surveyed the surroundings. You'd think a biome called grasslands would simply by just that, but scatter here and there were rock formations and small clusters of trees.
Rounding one of said clusters they finally found what they were looking for. Whatever hit them must have been big, or numerous in numbers. Definitely not bandits as Sam could see the carts still held the majority of their contents. Slowly approaching Sam checked the map again for anything that could sneak up on them. Thankfully it was clear.
As they got closer it was clear what most likely happened. There were four carts were parked in a semicircle, well at least originally. Some were overturned and destroyed while others had jagged claw marks on them. There was also another overturned cart that looked to be in the process of being repaired. The broken wheel clearly the culprit. They must have broken a wheel and then decided to rest while the repairs were made. They weren't too far from the road, but we're cleverly concealed from sight. A crude fire pit long dead sat in the middle.
The amount of blood surrounding the group didn't leave much hope for survivors. The fact that there were no obvious bodies confused Sam at first. There should have been at least five drivers for the carts, various workers, some extra people for security, and probably some travelers hitching a ride to town, but there was nothing.
That was until they got to the closer and noticed the bloody paths in the grass. They carefully followed the path as it led to a hill not to far in the distance. It was then that she finally found what she was looking for. Discarded weapons, ripped and bloody clothes and armor. Whatever took the bodies must have stopped periodically eat their kill or a more frightening concept. Stopped to remove the extra weight.
This wasn't the work of some 'dumb animal'. It had enough intelligence to determine the armor, mostly heavy plate like that of a warrior or knight was inedible and just weighing down their food. Her suspicions solidified even more when she noticed some of the armor, like boots and helms were…still full. The claw and teeth marks on the chest pieces showed just how they were removed. She could only hope these people were dead at the time.
As she inspected the remains left behind, she stopped to pick up anything that may have ID'd them. Not just for the quest but also for whatever family members they may have had. She'd check back in the campsite for more. As she got closer to the hill the noticed a cave or den of some kind.
"Shouldn't there be a guard or something outside? Unless it's one beast that made multiple trips." Sam wondered.
{"Keep in mind the map only shows what's on the surface. Once you go inside it will take a while for the S.I.S.T.E.M. to chart the cave."} Jarvis warned
"And how will it so that? I mean I realize it's not like you're using satellite to track these things."
{"The Sam nanites that are in your body that provide your S.I.S.T.E.M., are also in the air. It's just a matter of relaying the information back to me."}
"If you say so. I'm not too jazzed about going in there." Sam replied
Just then a low rumble could be heard, slowly getting louder.
{"From the sounds of it the occupant is coming out. Looks like you won't have to go in after all. Though I would suggest backing up…a lot."}
Taking Jarvis's advice she and her tames ran back towards a group of trees. She had left Sunblaze back at the caravan so she was safe.
A deep vibration rolled through the soil, strong enough to make the loose weapons on the ground rattle. Sam felt her stomach drop as the sound thickened into a low, guttural rumble.
The grass at the cave mouth bowed outward, as though pushed by a sudden gust. Then the air changed — heavy, damp, stinking of blood and rot.
Something moved.
At first it looked like shadows uncoiling, until she realized they were arms — no, not arms. Tentacles, pale as bone but sheathed in jagged, chitinous plating that clicked as they scraped against stone. Each ended in a wicked hook.
The creature's bulk followed, squeezing through the cave mouth. Its many eyes gleamed like oil-slick marbles, fixed forward and then sideways all at once. Sam's breath caught as she realized the trail of discarded armor hadn't been haphazard at all — it had been sorted. The plates and helms lay in neat piles, cast off where the beast had paused to "clean" its meals before dragging the rest inside.
The Harrowmaw flexed its limbs, and a shredded tunic still hung from one claw, sticky with blood. The rumble she'd heard hadn't been its growl. It had been its breathing.
The ground shook as the Harrowmaw hauled itself free of the cave. Its body stretched on and on, chitin plates grinding like stone on stone, tentacles snapping branches like twigs. When its maw opened, teeth whirred in a spiral that drilled into Sam's skull.
Jarvis's voice dropped.
{"Integrated Beast confirmed. Strength: catastrophic. Intelligence: elevated. Sam… it's not just a predator. It's a hunter."}
Sam swallowed. "Great. Guess who's the rabbit."
One of its eyes swiveled and fixed on her. Tentacles lashed forward like siege spears.
"Syn, Root Snare!"
Her wolf surged forward. Vines burst from the ground, tangling several limbs mid-strike. The beast shrieked, thrashing.
Sam charged, four pairs of Mana Hands flaring to life. One set gripped her axe, another her short sword, the rest spread knives into a hovering orbit.
The axe came down first, glowing with Rendstrike. Sparks flew as steel bit deep. A fracture spread across the plate.
{"Armor weakened — fifteen percent resistance loss, eight seconds."}
"Eight seconds? Don't waste 'em."
"Tempy, Chain Dash!"
Tempy became a blur, slamming through one tentacle, then ricocheting into another. Lightning crackled, the smell of ozone filling the air. The stunned limbs twitched uselessly.
"Iggy, light it up!"
The ember-furred cat hissed, back arched, before launching a stream of fire from her jaws. The flames washed over exposed joints, forcing the Harrowmaw to recoil with a bellow.
Sam followed with her sword, Tempest Blade screaming with wind as it cut into softened armor. A limb severed, thrashing on the dirt, the knockback barely nudging it, due to its massive bulk.
"Good girls!" Sam shouted—then ducked as another tentacle smashed overhead, shearing the crown off a tree.
The Harrowmaw reared back. Three armored corpses dangled from its hooks. With a flick, it hurled one down in front of her.
Sam gagged at the mangled knight. "Okay, ew. And also? Overkill!"
{"It's taunting you. Psychological warfare."}
"Yeah, well, mission accomplished."
The beast slammed into the ground. The earth shuddered. It began to burrow, its body vanishing beneath the soil.
"Not today! Iggy—burn it out!"
The now lynx sized cat dug her claws into the debris filled cave, spreading fire into the pit, smoke curling. With a screech, the Harrowmaw heaved back up. Syn launched with Thornfang Pounce, fangs glowing as they sank into a joint. Poison and bleed took root, ichor spraying. Tempy darted in again, static trailing her whiskers as she raked electrified claws across its eyes.
Sam hurled her knives in a storm, each one driven by glowing hands into the cracks her tames had carved. "C'mon, collapse already!"
Step by step, they forced it back toward the cave mouth. Sam took her axe back from her mana hands, striking down again, Rendstrike pulsing. Plates cracked wider. Iggy darted across its flank, fire trailing her paws. Tempy ricocheted from limb to limb, lightning sparking. Syn ripped and howled, vines surging from the ground to bind.
{"Sam — now. Cave mouth."}
Sam spotted the shattered cart. With four Mana Hands, she yanked the iron axle free and hurled it upward. The improvised spear jammed into the rock overhead, cracking it.
"Syn, Overgrowth!"
Roots the size of columns erupted, prying the ceiling down. Stone crashed in a cascade. The cave mouth collapsed, burying the Harrowmaw halfway in.
It shrieked, thrashing, tentacles smashing wildly. One clipped Sam, flinging her across the grass. Pain exploded through her ribs, but she staggered upright, spitting blood.
"Still standing," she croaked. "Can't say the same for you."
Tempy dashed in one final time, claws sparking lightning into its maw. Iggy raked fire across its face. Syn lashed it with vines. The beast screamed one last, piercing wail… then stilled beneath the rubble.
Sam limped to her wolf, stroking blood-spattered fur. Tempy padded to her side, sparks dancing from her whiskers, while Iggy rubbed her flank against Sam's leg, purring like a warm engine.
"Jarvis," Sam whispered. "Dead?"
{"…Dormant. Trapped. Not dead."}
Sam glared at the mound of stone and twitching tentacle still poking out. "Fine. It stays buried. Forever."
Then, with a bloody grin, she added, "Next time you want me to run, Jarvis? Lead with the giant centipede tossing corpses. Kinda a deal-breaker."
{"…Noted."}
{Quest Updated: Caravan Investigation
Objective: Report back to A.H.A. – Caravan destroyed. Survivors: None.}
Using her Bond Healing Sam fixes up the others while Syn's verdant howl healed her.
Sam exhaled, looking out across the grasslands. "Let's get out of here before it decides to dig its way free."
She used her mana hands to gather the stray pieces of armor. Salvage rights were apart of the reward for the quest and with their damage, at the very least she got plenty of scrap metal. Making her way back to the caravan, she looked for any identification to return to the AHA. There was most like a guard quest issued from the association. So adventurers were probably amongst the crew.
The carts were loaded with resources. One devoted to raw ores alone. Another was probably a whole villages harvest. Others had various items that were probably bound for the market in Thrasien. It was a substantial amount of items. She felt a bit like a grave robber.
"I'm really starting to see the benefit of this B.A.G. bag." Sam said sending everything into it. "It'll be a bitch to organize but I don't have to leave anything behind."
When she was finally done she hopped back up on Sunblaze and they started their hunt for the Plains Stalkers. They were notoriously difficult to hunt. Their stealth made them just about invisible and their skills were fine tuned.
The tall grasses of the western plains swayed like waves under the evening sun.
Jarvis chimed in with caution.
{"Plains Stalker detected. Level 18. High threat. Master of ambush and long-range pounce. Use tames and terrain advantage."}
"Alright…girls, we need to be precise. Keep Sunblaze hidden—incubator's still attached. I'm counting on you three to set up the ambush," Sam whispered, scanning the grass for movement.
A shadow slid through the tall grass—barely noticeable. The Plains Stalker emerged with Stalk, almost invisible, hunting silently.
The initial strike took Sam by surprise. Using Pounce it delt 30–40 damage with an added prone debuff on Sam
{-35HP}
Syn, using Root Snare, anticipated the predator's leap, entangling legs upon landing.
{-14HP, immobilized 3 seconds}
Tempy, zipped across open ground, shocking the Stalker and darted away adding another debuff to keep it still
{-19HP + 1s stun}
Flicking her tail ignited the dry grass, creating a temporary wall of smoke to confuse the predator.
{-14HP}
Still prone Sam made use of her mana hands again guarding herself with her Dagger. As the beast grew closer she slashed it across it's flank inflicting the bleed enchantment.
{Total HP loss -63HP}
The Stalker lashed out with Rending Claws, only to be blocked by Sums Photosynth Shield. It blocked just enough damage to only leave Sam with a few scratches that her healing ring quickly took care of.
"Remind me to upgrade that skill." Sam said to Jarvis.
Now free from the prone debuff she pulls her Tempest Blade out just in time to send it flying with knockback. The Stalker is hurled into a clump of grass.
{-92HP}
Syn's Overgrowth Surge, sends a pulse of vines and roots entangles the predator again.
{-14HP}
With another Chain Dash, Tempy hits the Stalker twice, lightning arcs across it's body.
{-30HP + 1s stun}
Sam follows up with Spear Blightbane, inflicting the poison enchantment for 6 seconds.
{-85HP}
Sam finishes it off using her bow and fires and arrow into its eye.
{-60HP}
The Plains Stalker collapses, tail twitching and it's remaining eyes wary but defeated.
{Ding! You've killed a level 18 Uncommon , Orange Plains Stalker. +50% level discrepancy}
"Dammit, we have to kill four more of these things?" Sam huffed laying in the grass.