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[Skill-Eater] Chapter 87: Teamwork
🕑 Added 2024-08-23 17:01:00 +0000 UTCFor the next few miles, Edge took his turn pulling the cart. It was heavy and awkward dragging it behind him, but it wasn’t too bad, all things considered. At least while it was empty.
Walking with Jumo was a rather different experience from traveling with Riller. Jumo was open and friendly. Outgoing, without being pushy about it. It was obvious that he was curious about the details of how Edge had found his core and his skills, but he didn’t press the issue. Instead, the man shared small things about himself. His favorite foods and funny stories of hunts gone wrong.
In exchange, Edge told Jumo about waking up alone in the middle of the plains, realizing that he was stuck here for good. He glossed over the part where he had found Skill-Eater, telling the same story about a sealed chest that he had told everyone else. He went into more detail about surviving the living lightning and his fight with the nymphs later that day.
By now, they were nearing the territory of the beast in question. After climbing to the top of a low hill to get a better view, Jumo turned to Edge and said, “Trapper told me that this is your first time hunting as part of a team. Working with other people opens up all kinds of tactics and strategies that you can’t use by yourself, some of which go all the way back to the dawn of human history.”
Jumo gave Edge a minute to ponder his words before continuing. “Before I make any suggestions, how would you use an extra hunter to set up this kill? Bear in mind, we don’t have any traps or ranged attacks other than my throwing knives and nets.”
Edge thought it through for a moment, then replied. “In that case, I think that one of us should act as a diversion. Get the beast’s attention and then lure it in to an ambush. Jobos are viciously territorial. If we can get it to chase one of us, we should be able to draw it over to where the other person is hiding.
“They can strike from its blind spot and land a heavy hit, ideally wounding its legs so that it can’t leap and won’t be able to charge. If things go wrong, we will need to watch out for whatever skills it has, especially its attacks. As far as I know, jobos can’t learn any spells. No matter what happens, it should close the distance at that point. Then we can hit it with a net and finish it off while it’s bound. That way, we won’t ruin the hide, like you were saying earlier.”
Jumo nodded along with Edge’s words, and then said, “That plan seems solid to me. I’ll do the luring if you don’t mind. I’ll put a knife in one leg to enrage it. It will be easier to keep my distance with dash that way, and the pain will make it less likely to notice you. I want to see what you’re capable of, so I’ll let you decide the location and details of the ambush. But before we get to that, we need to find our quarry first.”
It took them the better part of two hours to locate the jobo, since the beast had a large territory. As the men made their way deeper into the grasslands, they stopped talking and tried not to draw attention to themselves. Edge took advantage of the opportunity to practice Riller’s training, reducing his presence while putting himself in the hunter’s mindset.
Jumo must have noticed what he was doing, because the man looked impressed even though he didn’t say anything. When they finally sighted their target, they parked the cart under a tree and then stopped to take a closer look. The hunter pointed to a patch of short grass, where the jobo was chowing down on some manner of massive yellow tuber.
“That fellow is bigger than I remembered,” Jumo said. “I was wrong about the stage. It’s likely mid stage-one instead of early. There’s a good chance that it has already learned a third skill. Since I’m supposed to be training you, I feel like I should take a moment to point out the difference between a textbook hunt and what we’re planning to do today.
“Trapper would tell you to watch the beast for at least a few hours before making a move. To do everything that you could to figure out its exact skillset before forming a plan and engaging. To prepare the field and then come at the creature from a position of strength. It’s the smart play and definitely what I would recommend when fighting beasts that you don’t know well.”
At that point, Jumo looked at Edge and grinned. “But since we’re both familiar with the range of skills it’s likely to have, I suggest that we skip all that and try our luck with the direct approach. If the fight doesn’t seem to be going our way, let’s hit it with a flashbang and then get the hell out instead. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, I could really use those credits.”
Edge had been worried that he wouldn’t get a chance to steal any skills today. But it seemed like it was going to happen after all. “No problem. I feel the same way.” They spent a few minutes making sure that nothing else was nearby and getting the lay of the land.
When they were done, Edge said, “Why don’t I hide in that patch of tall grass right there? You can hit the jobo with a knife to get its attention, then run it past me. I’ll wait until I’m beyond its field of view, then pop out and try to land a good hit with my iceblade. Once I impair its mobility, we can take it from there.”
“That sounds like a plan to me. Here’s to our first hunt together, and hopefully many more to come.” With that, they bumped fists and Jumo went off to lure the burly beast. Edge worked his way into the dense grass as his adrenaline began to flow. Although the imminent battle was still a bit frightening, he found the prospect of fighting with an ally by his side to be deeply comforting.
After disabling the jobo, I will need a few seconds alone with it to steal its skills. The grass should provide enough cover, especially while Jumo is heading in the other direction. That was all the time for thought that he had before an enraged scream broke over the grasslands, followed by the thudding of a heavy body leaping across the ground.
It sounds like he got its attention, now it’s time to do my part. With that, Edge turned on conceal and remained as still as possible, ready to strike the moment that his target was in range. He tuned out his racing heart and sweating palms. Ignored everything except for the sounds of pursuit growing closer by second.
Without further warning, the hunter emerged from behind a big bush and went dashing past Edge’s position, feet moving so fast that it was hard to follow his movement. “Get ready, it’s coming!” Five seconds later, the jobo appeared, chasing Jumo with that bounding stride the species favored.
Wait for it. A little longer. Now!
