I slept in. It's not sunset, it's full on night. I guess I deserved it? Maybe. Goblin Chief is already up and about, so I guess I missed the rendezvous to our daily Fish cookout. Shucks. This blows! I actually never learned how to build a fire yet because it's quite troublesome. I tried when I was in the Demon Kingdom and utterly failed. I think the Goblins are better at it because their STR is better? It's fine. I'll eat it raw. I'm the Fish Mongerer, so if I say it's fine then it's fine.
Fire was a toy for man after all, I'm but a humble Cat. Goblins are probably part Human, so obviously they can replicate the same toys. I may have a Human shape sometimes, but it's only because I have the [Shapeshift] ability. I'm faking it. I'm truly a Cat, after all. It's but one of my many tricks as a Halloween Cat. Who said that all tricks had to be related to pain? Actually, yesterday I learned that even in my Cat form; I can suspiciously still talk in a human voice. It's peculiar, it happened immediately after I woke up and let out a yawn. The boys thought it was unnerving to hear a Cat speak as if it's no big deal, so I made the conscious decision to stop.
Eating my Fish while thinking about such matters, I decided that I needed to find the Goblin Chief. It's strange for him to be out and about, so I thought to ask one of his guards but... They're gone too. Should I just wait and see? It's technically night time, so I have free reign over my Clansmen. Maybe I should have them handle this. Yes. Looking up, it seems that my Crows have taken the initiative and have been flying around since before I even woke up. I guess they can do whatever they please so long as it's night time. Does this mean that I could theoretically stay awake during the day and let them handle everything at night? Even if I say that, the most I could probably do is ensure our safety by evading attacks on my Broom.
At the end of the day, the silly me neglected to choose any attack abilities. I want to slap myself, but it's no use getting bent up over details which are now out of my control. I don't think ability points exist. Whatever I learn from here on out, is probably up to me. Moreover, judging by how I gained [Fish Mongerer] after leveling up... I think that if I learn to do something or hit a milestone of having done something repeatedly, there's a chance that I will gain a skill from it after leveling up again. Or, maybe I had already achieved the [Fish Mongerer] title but could not claim it until my base stats had reached a certain point?
Ah~ Well, I got off topic. Looking up, I ordered my Crows to search for the Goblin Chief and then bring me to him. Yes. Now I can continue to eat my Fish. If they find him, they can just return to Halloween almost immediately; so I don't need to wait for them to fly back. These Crows are too convenient! They love to fly anyway, so it's not even a big deal for them. They're having the time of their lives, I say. I really wanted to inform the Goblin Chief of the actions I had taken so far, but seeing as how he's not currently around and the fact that it's valuable night time, I guess that I have no choice. I simply must proceed with balancing the northern ecosystem of the Lost Kingdom. I need to drive those Wolves back to wherever they came from. It's not really clear where they originally lived, but I'm almost certain that they originally snacked on the Snakes.
With that in mind, I grabbed my buckets of Candy and set off on Broom to figure out the current state of the Wolves. Last I checked, they were heading towards the bandit camp. I wonder what has become of them. The trip took me about an hour to get to the bandit camp. It appears that the Wolves have done some serious damage to these guys. Those Wolves look bloodthirsty! They're currently infesting the bandit camp, I don't see a single bandit left alive. They're all lying on the ground, dead and half eaten. It's gruesome to look at if I'm being frank. I wonder if these Wolves would even fear the Prairie Horror? There's only one way to find out, I guess.
"Come forth, Scarecrow and show these Wolves the terrors of Halloween! Drive them back with all of your might to wherever they hail from!" [Nero] beckoned from atop a flying Broom 20 metres away while holding out his Lantern.
An orange, glowing light radiated from the Lantern and descended to the ground... Leaving the Tier 4 Scarecrow standing amidst the pack of Wolves. Not a moment sooner, several Wolves pounced on the Scarecrow only to be thrashed away by the reinforced stalks of hay. The Wolves inflicted smashed into nearby stolen cargo and let out high pitched yelps, signalling the damage inflicted. Taking no extra chances, the Scarecrow let out a terrifying roar to which several of the Wolves fled from.
While several Wolves fled, a few stayed behind and shirked away the roar as if it were nothing. Those 8 Wolves that stayed began to circle around the Scarecrow as if to surround it. The first one to reach fully behind the Scarecrow pounced, aiming for a weak point. With fangs seeping into the Scarecrows back, it let out a scream and began wildly thrashing at the ones still in front of it. The Wolf that first jumped at the Scarecrow's back has latched on and is continuously biting at the Scarecrow. This is bad. He's taking damage continuously. He's giving a full on beat down to the ones he can hit, but there are more Wolves jumping on top of him. He's utterly surrounded and they're piling on top of him, desperately trying to tear apart his hay. Thanks to [Strengthened Grass], he's not taking too much damage, but it's enough for me to be ravenously eating Candy.
One of the Wolves in particular is interesting. It's definitely the alpha of the pack. It seems like it's a higher Tier of wolf. It might actually be Tier 3, considering that most of the Wolves fled immediately but 8 stayed. One of those 8 is especially unique though, so I think the other 7 are Tier 2. Or maybe I'm wrong and this alpha Wolf is actually Tier 4, while the others are Tier 3. The special Wolf is white. It has got a red pattern on its fur, it's beautiful. It's also almost twice the size of the other Wolves, so there's that. Sometimes, that white Wolf lets out a swiping attack where flames are let out from its paws. It's very dangerous for Mr Scarecrow. Flame damage is no bueno for him.
The battle was dragging on for a long time, and slowly... More and more of the Wolves were being defeated. I, who had already eaten two entire buckets of Candy, am on the edge of my Broom. There are three Wolves left. Thankfully, only one of them is currently still latched onto Mr Scarecrow so I'm able to eat my Candy at a bit of a slower pace compared to how the battle started. The white Wolf is still holding strong, and I've leveled up once already off of the 4 defeated Wolves.
While I was thinking about that, the White Wolf did something unexpected. It's currently kicking through the air, jumping off of the fire magic that its paws emit. Oi! How is that even possible?! The me who had no time to prepare a Barrier am now fleeing as fast as my Broom can carry me. It's fast. It's very, very fast. Thankfully, in the nick of time; my Crows have returned! I guess they sensed the danger because they immediately swooped down onto the flying Wolf and began to claw its eyes out. Thank you!
"Barrier~" [Nero] chanted happily with renewed feelings of safety.
The Wolf is considerably pissed off, because every time it makes a leap towards me, it takes damage from the relentless Crows, knocking it off guard. With this, I can avoid it much easier; and it seems that the tier 2 Crow has aerial superiority. While flying away from the Wolf, I'm leading it back towards the direction of Mr Scarecrow. I'd like to keep an eye on both battles if at all possible. After about a minute of flying, I'm now within range to see Mr Scarecrow bashing two Wolves into debris of cargo. He must have already finished off one of them. Yep. He's going to be fine. Looking back up, I see that the white Wolf is faltering behind in the chase after me and is being incapable of reaching me due to the Aerial Assault led by the Crows. That Wolf may be tough, but it's not actually supposed to be capable of intensive battle in the sky. It's a cheat just being able to use that pouncing ability in itself, but attempting to go a long way with it leaves the user totally vulnerable.
Judging by how the white Wolf doesn't seem to want to give up on me, I think it may have realized that I was the reason why Mr Scarecrow would not fall. It's intelligent enough to fully ascertain the battlefield. That's more than the Python or the Crab could say. I need to raise my evaluation of this Wolf. It's true. I can't heal my Clansmen while I take damage, however I can still regenerate if I'm not taking enough damage to offset the speed at which I can eat. If I had better candy, I would become way more sustainable. While I may now have around the same HP as the Scarecrow if I count my Barrier, I still have lower P. DEF than the Scarecrow. It can deal more damage to us by attacking me than the Scarecrow.
In that frame of mind, why doesn't it just attack the Crows? It's probably the same reason why it can't attack me right now. The Crows fight in a special method, always staying higher up than their enemies. They quickly dive down whenever the enemy is in a vulnerable position. There are a lot of openings when you're trying to forcefully fly through the use of an ability which relies on not only MP, but also on your own body to make a certain movement. The Wolf can't just change direction at will, it needs to think intelligently in order to even chase after someone properly through this method.
MWUAHAHAHA!!! At this rate, there's no doubt that we'll win unless this Wolf thinks up another strategy! Giving it a choice, I decided to lure it directly back down to its allies... Dead allies. You can continue to chase after me directly back down to the situation which is now worse than before, or you can be barraged by my Crows. It's all up to you, white Wolf! Face the Prairie Horror which you refused to flee from! Thinking about Mr Scarecrow, I wonder where he came from? Were they the Prairie fields directly outside of the Goblin Village? I find it hard to believe that a Tier 4 Scarecrow was just hanging out in the Slime infested Prairie fields. I don't remember seeing any other Scarecrows?! I would really like to find more Scarecrows to make this guy better. He's the star of my show, these days!
While having an inner tangent, the white Wolf is actually coming back down to face me. Thankfully, my Barrier is fully erected and beside me is Mr Scarecrow waiting for him. Stopping, the white Wolf began to descend to the ground. Standing just 15 metres away from us, it seems to be calmly surveying the results. Yep. You're alone. After looking at the Scarecrow for a brief moment, then up at my two Crows, it fixed its gaze on to me. It definitely knows that I'm leading these monsters to fight it. Then, to my surprise... The white Wolf transformed into a woman. She's got darker skin than I do, her hair is white and has the same patterns of red from before. Her eyes are still yellow, as well. After a long pause, she finally spoke.
"Hello there, I am known as the White Wolf among my pack. Why is it that you trouble us so?" [White Wolf Lady] asked in a restless voice, playing innocent.
"Eh? I'm Nero. You were clearly about to lay waste to another ecosystem. I want you to return to where you came, and continue hunting the Snakes which you normally hunt." [Nero] answered matter of factly, to which the White Wolf Lady made a noticeably irritated expression.
"Rrrgggg~ The Snakes have left their domain, and there only remains a Monster of the likes I simply can't face. I refuse to return only to die at the fangs of that beast!" [White Wolf Lady] snarls and continues to voice reasons why this battle was unavoidable.
"That's false. I have defeated that beast, and scared the Snakes back into their den. If that's all, you should leave." [Nero] said triumphantly while lowering his sunglasses. The White Wolf Lady seems genuinely shocked and embarrassed. Haaah~
"I will see this matter for myself and then I will decide!" [White Wolf Lady] says before storming off in a fit of rage.
Yikes. She needs to learn to act her age. Maybe Wolves are just temperamental? I'm going to follow her for now, and see what she does. The night isn't over yet, so I'm safe at the moment. As expected, this Wolf is fast on land. I can barely keep up with her on my Broom. My Clansmen had to return to Halloween because they simply couldn't.
After about 10 Minutes, we reached the Snake den. As expected, there are plenty of Snakes. Told ya so~ She seems flabbergasted. To think that something she lost against would be beaten by the enemies she was just losing against. Haaah! I continued to follow her and... She went to go check up on the other Wolves. They seem to have made a home in a cave somewhat north to the Snake Den. The cave is hidden from general view, as it's an underground cave with shrubbery surrounding it on all sides. It's impressive. After having witnessed that her pack is safe, she returned to me.
"It seems you did indeed solve my problems. I'm sorry for forcing you to face me without having listened to your side of the story." [White Wolf Lady] said sincerely.
"It's not a problem, you're the side who suffered from that mistake anyways." [Nero] replied honestly.
"Yes. That's the case. Just how did you manage to tame such powerful monsters, anyway?" [White Wolf Lady] asked.
Woah. Hold on. I can't just give away detailed information like that to anyone I meet! I mean, she could never steal my method of doing it; but it's still my secret to keep! Looking closely at her, I suppose she doesn't possess appraisal, but what's with the cheat ability of transforming to human form and still having clothes? She's wearing leather-hide garments as if she wasn't just a nude Wolf 15 minutes ago! What is this cheat ability?! Oh-hold on a second. I spy a net icon~ This lady. She's a potential Clansmen candidate. She must be a werewolf.
I once again condemn my lack of capability when it comes to figuring out who is or isn't part of the Halloween Clan. She could have died in that battle back there! I could have accidentally had one of my Clansmen killed! UGHH~ Very well. I suppose she now has the right to learn of my secret. Okay.
"Well, you see; I am called Nero. I am the one, True Halloween Cat. I have the ability to request that my Clansmen come serve me and represent the Halloween Clan. Scarecrows and Crows are both races fit to be Clansmen of the Halloween Clan. If I'm not mistaken, you are a Werewolf which is also fit to be a Clansmen of the Halloween Clan." [Nero] said while removing his sunglasses. To which, the White Wolf Lady's jaw dropped.
"You know that I am actually a Werewolf?! And you're saying that you possess the power to tame me, the same as those other monsters from before?" [White Wolf Lady] frantically asked.
"Well, yes. I'm honestly surprised that you're one of the Halloween Races but you don't seem to know it. Anyways~ I understand that you've probably had your paws full looking after all those young Wolves. While that may be, you're an existence far greater than them and I'm sure that they'll be fine on their own against the Snakes. The nearby ecosystems don't seem to have any strong monsters of your caliber around, so you staying here might actually prove more harm than good." [Nero] said calculatingly.
"Ehhh?" [White Wolf Lady] asked in a confused tone.
"To put it simply, you have gained too much power. You tower over the other races around here, probably making them feel threatened to the point that they're willing to eat their own brethren to level up. That Python which you could not face before? I'm almost certain that it reached that point out of fear for being devoured by you. It killed off its own so that it could face you. Then, its remaining brethren became too afraid of it to stay and you fled because it seemed challenging. With that in mind, to avoid causing any more unnecessary conflict; why not join me as one of my Clansmen?" [Nero] concluded.
"Oh… I see. I caused that Python to appear, huh?" [White Wolf Lady] asked in a conflicted tone of voice.
"Well, probably. That's my assumption anyways. The fact of the matter still remains though. There are no monsters nearby which can possibly feed you sustainably. Your pack is another story, and can probably survive off of the spoils of the Snakes. You will likely have a larger appetite. One of the special perks of being my Clansmen is that I am responsible for feeding you. So how about it?" [Nero] asked.
"Yes. I must thank you for saving my pack. I will join you on your journey, please feed me well." [White Wolf Lady] stated, with newfound resolution.
Jeez. Well, I've found a new Clansmen! Let's catch her! After focusing on the net icon, [Clansmen Capture High Success Rate] appeared in a pop up. Heh. I guess I already proved my strength and explained that I'm the Halloween Cat; so there's no advice on how to seal the deal. The deal is sealed. [Clansmen Capture]
Almost immediately afterwards, bright orange light shone from my Lantern and enveloped the White Wolf Lady. Moments later, the light returned to my Lantern only to return back out. She's not going anywhere. It seems she wants some time to bid farewell to her pack. It's fine. She can return to Halloween whenever she wants, it won't affect me unless she stays out past dawn. That's when there'd be a problem. Don't go wasting my MP for nothing! I made sure to warn her anyways, before beginning my journey back to the Goblin Village. There's probably about 3 more hours left of night. That fight took way too long.
While Flying back, I decided to check my status. I know that I gained 3 levels from slaying the Wolves, but I want to know my stats! I should also go ahead and look at the White Wolf Ladys stats. I had a popup offering to earlier, but I ignored it due to her decision of staying behind.
Name: Unnamed Monster (Nero Miki)
Race: Cat (Halloween)
Weapon: Lantern (Poor Iron Lantern)
Mount: Broom (Common Wooden Broom)
Class: Halloween Cat (Sub Class: Witch/Tamer)
Level: 13
HP: 65/65
MP: 145/264(+4)
SP: 54/100
FP: 68/100
P. DEF: 31
M. DEF: 39
STR: 52
INT: 132(+2)
DEX: 39
LUK: 13
AGI: 78
Titles:
[True Halloween Cat], [From Another World], [Fish Mongerer]
Abilities Learned:
[Flying Broom], [Soul Merge], [Clansmen Capture], [Hallowed Gate], [This is Halloween], [Wailing Keep], [Language Comprehension], [Shapeshift], [Barrier], [Daily Candy], [Claw Fishing], [Disguise], [Recovery by Sleep], [Enhanced Meditating], [Swim]
Welp, I haven't gained any new titles or abilities; but my stats are higher. My MP is low because I haven't really sat down much since arriving at the Wolf cave and I had to fly fast to get here. It's fine because it will regenerate while I take my time flying to the Village. I can probably afford to go ahead and start trying to get better clothes now that I have more MP. I think that I'll do that when I get back. Firstly, let's check the White Wolf Lady stats too!
Name: Unnamed Monster
Race: Werewolf (Halloween)
Class: Brawler
Tier: 4
MP: 42/180
P. DEF: 30
M. DEF: 25
STR: 40
INT: 20
DEX: 4
LUK: 4
AGI: 50
Titles:
[White Wolf], [Halloween Clansmen]
Abilities Learned:
[Wolf Claw], [Pouncing Kick], [Flame Paws], [Transformation], [Return to Halloween]
Honestly, impressive. It's no wonder why I was struggling at escaping her on my Broom without the help of my Crows. She was seriously damaged in that chase though. I'll need to eat a decent bit of Candy on the way back, eh? Okay.
While eating Candy to heal the wounds of the White Wolf Lady, I reached the Goblin Village. I have about 1 and a half buckets of Candy left, so I should probably lay low for a few days. Yosh! It's a strategic resting period! It's kind of strange how Halloween monsters only get hungry if they take damage. I'm the only exception among us. Maybe it has something to do with being a Clansmen? It's almost as if I'm capable of freezing time for them, so they don't get hungry. I wonder if the White Wolf Lady would actually have HP, FP, and SP in a normal situation? These are good questions to ask. I should ask these questions. I'll make a mental note of it for the next time I'm casually talking to her. I can also ask Mr Scarecrow.
Come to think about it, what would happen to my Clansmen if I were to die? It's not as if I'm actually summoning them. I'm technically a subclass of Tamer. In that case, I'm Taming these monsters. Returning to Halloween may as well be an extra dimension within my Lantern for them to hide in. So if I were to die, would they be released from my Lantern... Or would they disappear along with it? If it's the first case, then me gathering my Clansmen could be seen as a horrendous act against humanity.
By gathering Clansmen, I offer them the ability to Evolve. I give them a safe place to stay and gain power without fear of starving, and then when I die; they would be unleashed upon the world. The monsters which I empowered to protect me would be reduced to nothing more than starving monsters with nothing to eat. If that's the case, then I might as well be a walking time bomb. I'd no doubt be on the wrong end of history. If that isn't the case and they all actually just die when I die, then I guess I'm doing a favor to humanity by gathering the monsters to die? Yikes... I'm honestly not a fan of my theories here, but I can't imagine anything else happening. Is the answer to try and survive while keeping my Clansmen number to a minimum?
Debating the two possibilities, I find myself thinking that by all means... I must hide the truth behind what [Soul Merge] actually does. It's a pretty conspicuous ability if I get appraised. It stands out, but thankfully it isn't the only ability that draws attention. If I can conceal what [Soul Merge] does at all costs, then I won't be viewed as a dangerous entity. Currently I provide select monster races a method to opt out of the ecosystem, so to speak. Those monsters then fight for me, and only for me; until the day that I die. I behave like a regular adventurer. Sometimes, I go and subjugate monsters. But I mostly just live leisurely. If I were to die, we'll just say that my monsters are released back into the wild and return to the ecosystem. That's how most Tamers are, right? Probably. If all I do is subjugate dangerous monsters and recruit new Clansmen from time to time, then all of a sudden I don't sound like such a bad Cat!
In a way, I'm helping some of the stronger monsters within the Lost Kingdom survive long enough to unify and eventually overtake the Demon Kingdom. My entire class is basically hellbent on unifying the Halloween Clansmen. While I may not have any individual goal of overtaking the Demon Kingdom, I know that White Wolf Lady hails from the Lost Kingdom. She'd probably want something to do with vengeance against the Demon Kingdom. I don't really know where Mr Scarecrow emerged from, but I think it might have been the Prairies of the Lost Kingdom? I honestly have no idea. It wouldn't be out of the ordinary for him to have a bone to pick with the Demon Kingdom though. After I die and my Clansmen are released from their vow to serve me; I really couldn't care less if they decided to use that newfound power, freedom, and unity to strike a revolt against the Demon Kingdom.
If I'm to hide the truth behind what [Soul Merge] does then, I think the best option would be to rely on the mystery of [From Another World] title. I could just pretend that [Soul Merge] is a passive ability which came attached with the title. Maybe there was originally a child Cat Beastkin in this body until a Halloween Cat Soul from another world came to possess it? It's kind of far fetched, but we can just roll with the attitude of me being some almighty Cat God who chose to enter this world to bring peace or something. Yeah. It's all starting to click together meow. I can ride with this! This might just work. If I'm ever detained or questioned by someone obviously freaking out over having appraised me, then I'll just say this. Cover story: Got!
Well, I'm back~ At the Goblin Chiefs hut. Everyone's here, Samurai Punk is asleep. Village Chief is awake, so I might as well explain myself. There's probably about 2 hours left of night and I'm kind of tired though. I'll have a snack while I explain. Yosh. Fish~ I'm running out of Fish. I'll need to catch more tomorrow. While snacking down on 2 Fish, I managed to explain the jist of what I think caused the monsters to flee and how I solved it while managing to procure a new Clansmen in the process.
Village Chief didn't seem too surprised though, and I get the feeling that after he told me of the issues the first time that he totally left it in my paws. He's totally over it already and hasn't even thought about it once since he sent me off to deal with it! Just what was he doing when I first woke up tonight to find him missing from the hut? He was actually just answering some house calls in the Village. Apparently some Villagers were sick and needed medicine. Apparently he actually does run something of a medicinal business. Obviously, currency is not something relative to this Village so i think he accepts bartering. Or he's just doing it out of the goodness of his heart. He seemed pretty tired, so I'll let him rest. I feel the exact same way anyways, so I used [Daily Candy] and went to sleep.