Crafting Gear From Monster Genes

BAM!

Hargod’s fists slammed into each other, sending a shockwave that ruffled Kreyn and Leora’s hair.

"So he almost knocked you out with a single punch? Huh, maybe I can get something decent out of this bastard for myself, too."

Leora nodded. Her shoulder still ached, but she’d been through far worse.

"They’re probably some kind of guards. They’re guarding the chambers where the weaker Rahta Beasts draw power from pure Orazit Crystals. For now, that’s my best guess."

Hargod stopped her with a gesture.

"Enough. You know I don’t like all these theories. We’ll go there and beat the crap out of that piece of shit, and then we’ll see. Are you ready to fight tomorrow?"

Leora’s gaze grew more intense.

"No doubt about it. I’ll take down any beast except the blue one."

Then, Hargod turned his gaze to Kreyn.

"What about you? Ready for round two?"

Kreyn blinked.

"Do I have a choice?"

Hargod smirked as he waved his hand.

"There’s always a choice, but I doubt you’d go for the second option. Not you - you proved that when you killed that girl."

"Well..." Kreyn recalled the events from the beginning. "She didn’t have any other choice, did she? I didn’t want to die, and neither did she. But she had no chance for a different outcome."

"I see. You’re coming with us. I want to see what you’re capable of in battle, and that girl who came with you. She, too."

Hargod took a sip as he glanced at Leora and pointed at Kreyn.

"Give him the keys. Since he’s turned out to be so capable and is now working with you in the mines, let him live nearby."

Leora nodded. "Sure."

Then, Hargod waved his hand.

"Alright, now get lost. I’ve got a lot of important stuff to do. See you tomorrow, I’ll show you how to fight! Hahaha!"

A few minutes later, Kreyn and Leora were standing in front of a tall building. There were more than a dozen of them here, all looking alike - wooden towers with iron supports, covered in metal scraps.

These buildings were the closest to the mines, as were the two bars serving cheap beer, since this is where the miners lived.

Click.

Leora unlocked the door at the very top of the tower with an old key before tossing it to Kreyn.

"Here. This is your home."

Kreyn stepped inside. He saw a table, a bed, a TV, a few torn posters on the walls, and a small kitchen in the corner.

"Does the TV work?"

Leora frowned.

"Who do you think we are? Maybe this isn’t a big city, but we’ve got electricity, water, radio stations, and everything we need."

Then, she handed him something else.

"Hmm?" Kreyn looked at the black chip in his hand. "What’s this?"

"Money. There are 1,000 credits on this chip. Consider it a bonus for being a new Hunter here and for your work in the mines. But don’t try to use them anywhere other than the Crooked Horn - it won’t work."

Kreyn nodded, looking at the tops of the other towers visible through the window and the bridges rising above them.

"What about you? Do you live here?"

"No," Leora replied sharply. "I live in the wall, in my office. If I call you, you have to be here in five minutes, or you’ll be in trouble."

Kreyn didn’t say anything, and Leora had nothing else to add. She turned to leave.

"Wait."

"What now? She frowned.

"Who’s going to win?"

"Hmm?"

"Hargod versus that blue Rahta Beast. Who’s going to win?"

Leora gave him a mocking look.

"What kind of stupid question is that?"

She walked down the stairs, waving her hand dismissively.

"The Rahta Beast doesn’t stand a chance."

For everyone at the Crooked Horn, this would be good news, since it showed just how strong their leader was.

’Damn... This really complicates things.’

However, Kreyn wasn’t about to give up. He had several goals, and he was alone, for now. That had to be changed, and he knew how.

Crunch.

There was a crunch as juice oozed from a juicy red apple.

"That’s unexpected..." Groza muttered, looking at Kreyn. "You know, I saw the fruit prices here. Considering how long you were complaining about the coffee prices in the city, you should have stayed away from the fruit stands."

Kreyn took another bite, looking down at the Crooked Horn from above.

Now, they were on one of the suspension bridges, yet they were still on the stone plateau, seeing only walls in the distance and not the territory beyond this Node.

"Well, I got the money, and I decided to make use of it. I’m not planning on staying here long anyway."

Suddenly, Groza’s expression grew serious.

"Are you preparing to escape?"

"Yes, but that’s only part of the plan."

Groza narrowed her eyes. "What does that mean? What are you up to?"

"I’m going to kill them, Groza. At least Leora and Hargod. As for Garius, I have some ideas, but... he’s on the list, too."

Groza’s face went pale. Not just because of what Kreyn was suggesting, but because of how calmly he said it.

"W-Wait..." Her voice faltered. "You’re serious... Shit. How can you even offer that?"

"Hmm?" Kreyn gave her a puzzled expression. "What did you want to hear?"

"I mean... We should be thinking about how to escape, not making a hit list. E-Even if we have the strength for it and everything works out, we can’t do that!"

Kreyn’s tone grew lower and his gaze colder.

"Why? They kidnapped us and forced us to fight to the death. If that man hadn’t taken his own life, you’d have to kill him. You should understand that."

Groza lowered her gaze, nervously clutching the fabric of her pants.

"Kreyn... I’m grateful to you for helping with the mission, and we really have made a good team, but you don’t know me as well as you think you do."

She cautiously glanced up from under her eyebrow.

"I’m an experienced Hunter, sure, but... I’m not a killer, Kreyn. I’m willing to hunt monsters and carry out missions, but not people. You have to realize that."

Silence.

The silence lingered for a while, and it seemed that Kreyn even lost his appetite.

"What’s the difference?"

"Agh...?"

Kreyn turned to her.

"What’s the difference between the Crystal Crusher and Hargod? You have a history with both of them and a reason to kill them. The Crystal Crusher because of Clara, and Hargod because of the kidnapping and the fact that he forced us to fight to the death like beasts."

Groza bit her lip.

"Maybe that’s true, but Kreyn, we can’t do this... That’s why we’re humans, we don’t act like monsters. Damn it! Is that really so hard to understand?!"

She waved her hand.

"If we do this, how will we be any different from those bastards? We shouldn’t stoop to their level - we have to be above that!"

Crack.

The red apple fell to the ground as Kreyn stepped forward.

Before Groza could even process what was happening, he grabbed her by the collar, firmly and roughly, as his single eye became a ravenous abyss staring straight into her soul.

"Don’t bullshit me. You’ll never win by sticking to your high moral standards."

Groza gulped, paralyzed.

"I won’t just stoop to their level, I’ll go even lower, as far as necessary, and you will help me if you want to live rather than just survive."

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