The brothel was easy to find as all I had to do was walk the usual way home. I stopped in front of the two-story building with its red-painted sign that proudly announced its name.
"Winsby's Wonderful Women."
There was a bouncer outside, but he didn't stop me from entering, though did give me a warning look. I just nodded before entering. I was immediately met with a very musky smell, and a flowery scent as though they'd tried to hide the obvious smell of sex. I let out a breath and considered where to look. Before I could, a woman clad in loose clothing walked over, a sway in her steps.
"Well, a new face." She was blonde, and it was hard, but I kept my eyes on her face and not her cleavage. "Here for some fun?"
I raised a hand to stop her before she could reach me. "No, I'm here looking for a friend. Lex?" I didn't know his last name or if he even had one. From her frown she wasn't pleased I'd stopped her, but then her smile return.
She glanced up a set of stairs. "He's busy."
I followed her gaze and thought about heading up there, but then decided against it. I turned back to the blonde. "How long will he be?"
"Hard to say," she replied. "He's been coming more as of late; more money from his dungeon dives. A shame he doesn't bring the orc along with him. I hear they're quite furious in bed, but sometimes I prefer passion." She tried to move closer once again, but I took a step back.
"I'm not looking for companionship," I said.
"No?" She said. "How about a good fuck, then?"
The crude words in that sensual tone sent a shiver down my spine, but I still kept my face blank. "No, thank you. I'll wait outside."
I moved to leave, ignoring her pout when there was a sudden crash from above. I turned just as a figure shot down the stairs, and stopped as he spotted me. Lex was half-dressed and looked like he'd done something wrong. The guilt in his eyes was clear.
"Jericho?"
"Lex," I greeted. "I need to talk to you."
"Not here, let's go." He pulled me by the hand out of the brothel. The blonde looked on with a pout, but just before we left I heard a loud voice from upstairs. "Stop him!"
Lex didn't stop running until we were a block away and in am alleyway. We reviewed quite a few stairs, and I blushed. I was as straight as an arrow, not that I had anything against such relationships, but me and Lex? Hell no.
"What was that?" I asked, leaning against a wall as he got dressed.
"Nothing," he said to which I just stared blankly at him. "Oh fine, I forgot to bring my coin, and she wouldn't let me go." He sighed. "I'll sort it out next time. What did you want to talk about?"
"I'm training my sense and Rashid said you could help?"
"Oh, well, yeah," he said, smiling. "I've got the highest sense of the group at twenty. You made a smart call. I expected you might go with strength which is good, but for lower levels, sense out does it. Actually, I've got a hunt outside the city. If you're interested you can tag along, and I can teach you as we go. I take it you've tired the mediation chambers at the guild."
I nodded.
"Good, that's a good start, but it won't be enough." He straightened out his clothes, then let out a breath. "That was close. Well, meet me at Karra's in an hour. Just bring what you'd bring for a dungeon dive."
"How long will this take?" I asked as he walked out of the alleyway.
"A day, two at most. We'll be hunting a local monster, culling its numbers."
I headed back to the inn, packed a bag, and had one last meal before I left. I wasn't sure about this hunt, but I wanted to learn from him. He had twenty in sense, so clearly he knew what to do, and it wasn't like I needed the chambers to meditate. They just made it easier. A quiet forest would do just as well, and maybe if these monsters weren't too strong, I could use them to help with my sense training.
I found Lex at Karra's wearing his leather armor and with his scimitar belted on his waist. Surprisingly, he also had a bow slung over his back. He noted my look and smiled. "I'm a good shot, though not as good Tenna. It's mainly for hunting, not monsters. I use to live outside the town, and would hunt a lot."
Together we headed out of town, and he led me down a different road than the one I'd come in from, but we didn't stay on it for long. He pulled out a map of the local area, and after consulting it for a bit, we headed into the forest.
"Ok, Jericho, I need you to listen," he said, his voice serious. "The monsters were hunting aren't dangerous alone or even in pairs, but they hunt in packs of eight. Imagine a goblin that walks on four legs, and with spines down its back. They're not particularly dangerous and don't go for people most of the time, unless… the population gets big enough that the average pack expands from four to eight. Even six is bad, but an average fighter won't have much difficulty. They're not especially strong, fast, or durable. What they are is ferocious. When they attack it's like a frenzy. They either die or win. I've never come across one that's retreated."
"What are they called?"
"Sordogs," Lex said. "Now, I don't think we'll have any trouble, but don't wait to use your ability if you're cornered. They will not go down easy, and they'll take bites from you before they do."
His description worried me a little, and I wondered if there was a difference between monsters and normal animals. I wanted to ask, but it would make me look weird as it was something I should probably know. Although, I didn't think he'd push for information. I decided to wait until I used the library again. I wasn't in a rush and it wasn't a need-to-know thing.
We crept through the forest, and with my hunting skill I was able to tell what he was doing, but clearly, his skill level was above mine. I asked him about it and when I told him I had the skill he was surprised. "You hunt?"
"A little," I lied. "I haven't done much so it's only a five."
"Still, you want to learn?"
"I'd rather we focus on sense."
"Oh, yes, sorry." He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Got caught up in tracking."
"No worries."
"So sense..." he began. "It's one of the harder attributes to train due to its nature, and most people tend to get frustrated because a large part is mental. Sure, there's physical training, but you need to learn to meditate and let go. You need to cultivate it, and the most often used methods are meditation and dodge training. It's the have things thrown at you while you try to dodge. Those are the simplest, but I do something different."
He stopped and waved at the forest. "In my youth, I'd find a place, close my eyes, and begin to walk between the tree, allowing the sounds to meld with me rather than ignore them. Battle is chaotic, and you must be aware of a friend calling for help. You can't allow all sound to fade. I'd walk and slowly get a sense of things, not relying upon my perception, but solely through sense. There's this potion that I bought when I first started in the city which numbed my five senses, causing me to further rely upon that different sense. The sixth sense which in certain aspects is linked to instincts, but normally we don't tap into much, but the system allows us to through training."
I listened intently, nodding my head and making a mental list. "So should I do that?"
"You can, or do something similar," he replied. "It's overly complicated as someone like Rashid thinks. It just seems so because of how different it is. One tip I will give you is not to become solely reliant on it. I've seen it happen, but me? I'm not at that stage. For training, sure, but I also need to use it alongside my perception which is where things are best. Alone each is useful, but together they're best. I'm currently training my perception."
"Are there limits like the physical stats?"
"Of course," he chuckled. "All the stats are linked. The body is a… machine? Something like that, and it works as one. If you increase all your physical attributes you'd still eventually reach a point where you need to increase your mental attributes. It's all connected. No matter what, if you're reaching for the tip you need all of your attributes. But that's not that important. It's not as if people like us will get that far."
I only smiled in reply. I had a way, but I wasn't going to reveal it.
As we went, he spoke a bit more about his experiences and recommended I practice at least a few hours a day, and do more as time passed. "It'll take weeks if you do that, and then months and years, but you'll get there. We average adventures must do what we must."
I was thinking more twenty in a week, but once again, I wasn't going to tell him that. Although, I would have to be careful that he didn't notice. That no one noticed. I wasn't going to have to disappear, but then what? Would I just go from town to town? Should I get a disguise or shapeshifting ability? That was thinking too far ahead though. Live in present. It was fine to have a vision, but as my dad would say, there was no point in worrying about the future like that.
The sun was going down when Lex paused. "I've got it. This is fresh, not even an hour old. You up for this?"
"At night?"
In response, he threw me a potion. It was purple in color and had bits of green floating around in it.
"That's a night sight potion, lesser, but it'll be enough." He gulped his down and I followed suit. The effect was immediate but odd. It wasn't as if things magically went into color, but instead, there was a greyness to everything, outlines were clear, and though finer detail was still hard to see, I could make things out.
"C'mon, their den's probably just over this hill."
I nodded, drew my sword, and followed him up. We were quiet, and it took an hour to reach the Sorgods which were sleeping in what looked like a shallow crevice in the ground. From the dirt around it, they'd dug it up. They looked ugly, very ugly. Their faces were covered in flaps, and their backs definitely made them look like a humanoid hunched over. Their spines were small, but they were definitely nightmare fuel.
"Oh no," Lex muttered.
I knew why. There were a dozen of them packed in like sardines, sleeping atop one another, probably for warmth. My clothes kept me warm, but I could still feel the night's faint chill.
"What do we do?"
"I'm not sure," he said. "I can take four by myself without injury, and maybe six with, but more?"
"I could boost."
"You up for that? I'm not Eloria."
"I have potions and I won't push the ability."
"Then…" He drew his bow and set arrows next to him. He knelt and knocked the first. You get in close, and I'll provide support. Don't hesitate, take them down as quickly as possible. Go for the head. A lost limb won't stop them from trying to crawl and jump at you. Also, let's make a party, and I'll send you a message when I'm ready."
I partied up with up before moving down the hill we were on, and taking up position behind a tree near the crevice.
[Lex: You ready?]
[Jericho: Yes]
[Lex: Let's go.]
I heard the whoosh, and snap of the bowstring just before it flew. There was a yelp, followed by low growls. That didn't last for long as more arrows flew and the growls turned to loud barks until there was a cacophony of sound. I activated boost once, and the first dog was cut down before he even fully crawled out. The next two met a similar fate as I just strike down through their heads. Then they got out, and I used boost again.
Lex hadn't been lying when he said they were furious. They charged with reckless abandon, and a strike to their body didn't stop them immediately. I pierced one through the stomach, but it turned and tried to bite me. It was a mess of gore as I moved from monster to monster, aiming for heads. Arrows flew as I did, putting down those I didn't get a clean hit on.
It lasted minutes, and I pulled out a potion as I waited for the timer to hit zero. I jugged it, and hit went to a knee, letting out a groan. I felt a hand on my shoulder. "You know, Jericho, you get better with that sword, you'll be a terror. I don't know how I'd fair against you if you pushed as hard as you could. Although, I have abilities and a few tricks on my own."
"I hate this ability sometimes," I said and took his proffered hand. Honestly, I didn't know how I would fair. All he needed to do was last, and then I was dead. I hadn't seen any of his abilities, but I imagined he had something for physical improvement and an offensive attack ability. I was glad we were friends.
"Let's loot them, and find someplace to make camp."