Demi-Human's Envasion
亜人間の侵略編
The ‘Metal Forged Trial Series’ were a lot heavier than the Wooden Trial Series and because of that I needed some adjustment to my combat style to fit those weights. First I tried them on wooden targets to get the feel with using them after a week decided to fend off some ANTARES in the southern side to have actual combat using the bladed weapons.
While it had the problem with its weight, it however was easily compensated with the sharpness the Wooden Trial Series definitely lacked and so even if I only coat the weapons with little KENKI, I was easily able to slice the carapace of the SOLDIER ANTARES and other insect type monsters into two.
Finally, feeling that I had gotten used to fighting with the new weapons against the ANTARES I felt it was time to go a bit deepest to the forest. Since I am still worried about getting attacked with the boss of the Eastern Side, I am currently striding the western side of the forest instead. Unlike the Eastern forest this side of the forest has beast, Scaled, Insect and Demi-Human type monsters.
*****
Oh, let me go back a bit, since it was for the means of my survival, I have decided to classify monsters according to their appearances and other qualifiers to easily come up with strategies against them.
In the previous world ‘Beasts’ is defined as any quadruped animals but in this world I have decided to call monsters that are savage appearance in appearance as Beasts, the one ones in the east side are all quadruped animals and are considered Beasts. The HUNTERCAT, FOREST WOLF, TIGERFANG and the GREYWOLVES are good examples of this type of monsters.
In southern side of the island of the island is dominated by the Insect type monsters. The ANTARES, LARVAE, FRAYGRA, and ARACNAE are some of the insect types that loiter in the southern side.
The northern side of the island is riddled with what I call Scaled type monsters, these guys have shells or scales riddled in most part of their bodies. The ALLIGATRO, ANACONDRA, BASILISK and ARMADOGU take a defensive stance here. Well in this part of the island there are also monsters that I am not sure if I should call them Scaled, the LIZARDMEN. They are indeed scaled just like the other monsters but I think that I should consider them Demi-humans.
The west side of the forest is a bit different from the others as monsters here have a large variety of classification. They have the all four types I have mentioned earlier: Beasts, Insects, Scaled and of course the Demi-Humans.
Demi-Humans are monsters and as what you have to expect in any gamers encyclopedia have human like qualities in them but are not very good at reason and is sometime missing in them.
This west side of the forest are riddled with GORGILAZ although not quadruped have been associate with Beasts, the FOREST CRABS and CRABS which are scaled type monsters, SCORPIAZ although shelled is really an insect type, and of course true to fantasy world of magic the ORCS and GOBLINS representing the Demi-Humans.
The ORCS are bipedal much like humans but are much taller and bulkier their faces look much like pigs or boars in the previous world. The GOBLINS much like the ORCS are bipedal but they are smaller in size probably around 90 -100 cm, although they can communicate with each other they seem to lack compassion for other creatures aside from their own as they start to express their thoughts in mindless violence.
Although the four types of monster classification are in this west side of the forest, there are only three fighting for supremacy: the GOBLINS, the ORCS and probably subordinates of the giant gorilla monster with four arms, the GORGILAZ.
While fighting these three monster factions, there is something I got to understand. Much like the human social system, the monsters seem to have their own social rankings. This is something I found after checking the Grimoire Atelier Memory Logs which I can only access while in the captain’s room.
For example the GOBLINS, these ranks are shown after I have defeated them in battle: GOBLIN GRUNT the weakest and should be Rank F and is followed by relatively stronger of the same species are the GOBLIN WARRIOR, GOBLIN ARCHER and GOBLIN SHAMAN.
The ORCS similarly their ranks compose of the following: ORC GRUNT, ORC WARRIOR, ORC ARCHER and ORC SHAMANS and had safely assumed that Demi-Human strength and ranks are connected with these naming standards.
Similarly, the reason, why the LIZARDMEN were considered demi humans because they have those rank names. LIZARMEN GRUNTS so on and so forth.
The GORGILAZ their social ranks were as follows: TEEN GORGILAZ and ADULT GORGILAZ. The main reason as to why I had grouped the GORGILAZ as beast and not named them Apes is also due to these findings.
Reading it from the ships logs after fighting the GREYWOLVES and the WERECATS these were their social order: TEEN WERECAT and ADULT WERECAT and TEEN GREYWOLF and ADULT GREYWOLF respectively.
The insect type monsters in the Southern area have these naming schemes relative to their strength: ANTARES, SOLDIER ANTARES, FLYING ANTARES and of course the GIGANTIC ANTARES. I will review the log more closely to match this data when I battle more of their species.
There should be more monsters rankings that need to be checking after battling with them. And for this reason I’ve decided to make my own monster encyclopedia so that I can analyze monster combat strength and weaknesses. I might be able to exploit some weaknesses against stronger enemies this way.
******
It was the 10th day since I have reentered the forest with my Metal Forged Trial Series, and I have started to little by little gain my lost confidence with my abilities from my prior defeat, and with that I was thinking it was about time to have my revenge match with ‘that’ GREYWOLF.
I still docked Grim-chan in the Southwestern Inlet, and made my way through the South side until I reach the Eastern side. The ANTARES swarms were no longer a pushover, as I had gained a sharper weapon to easily slice their bodies.
Just when I thought that the battle was a bit too easy, an uneasy feeling overwhelmed me.
‘The forest seems different somehow…’ I did not know why but the forest was getting anxious as if trouble was brewing in a direction that is borderline dangerous, I have never felt like this before in my life as I have never experienced or felt this in the previous world, but I am sure that danger is approaching and fast..
While carefully traversing towards the eastern forest, as if materializing my thoughts, a horde of GOBLINS, made its way to the insect swarms and attacked relentlessly against the insects.
“Just what is happening here?” I was now fending against the GOBLIN horde, I was not defending the insect swarm or anything, I was no saint after all and up until the GOBLINs arrived I was doing the same, only for some reason, I feel their presence here on the Southern side of the island was somewhat disrupting the power balance in the island, after all the monsters that should have been in the West side of the island was now hunting here in the Southern side.
I have noticed this when that MASTER ALPHA GREYWOLF crossed the southern side to pursue me and that lizard like boss went and stopped him from encroaching further which helped me escaped.
At first look it would seem that they were just lost, but the horde kept on moving eastward like they were the first wave of an invasion army. Since I could not fight all of them, some of the GOBLINs did go past and move to the east.
With the GOBLIN army was not showing any signs of stopping their movements, I decided to return to Grim-chan. As I arrived there some of the goblins have taken over the shores, they had camped and started a fire, thankfully the ones there did not bother to attack Grim-chan, I wanted to blow them to smithereens or attacked them but since I did not know what was happening I instead navigated away from the island for now.
After treading a little ways from the island, I could see that smokes were rising here and there in the island, ‘was this also the GOBLINs doings?’
If so then why are they doing this? I needed to investigate this.
After deciding on the course of action, I then circled to the northern region of the island, but instead of seeing the GOBLIN horde, I saw the ORC horde instead. It looks like the, the GOBLINs are not the only ones thinking of invading the other island.
While in deep thought as to why the two demi-human monsters in the western region were invading the northern and southern region, a new group of popular demi-human I am familiar with started to assault the ORCS who were in camping. They were LIZARDMEN, scaled-bipedal lizard like creatures and seem to be riding a quadrupedal heavily scaled lizard monster.
The LIZARDMEN with their mounts were slow but from the looks of it, the ORCS were having a hard time breaking their defenses, while the ORCS were busy with trying to mow down the mounts, the LIZARDMEN used that time to hit them with their weapons such as clubs, rod and long poles.
After the two demi-human monster which resided in the western region of the island invaded the northern and southern regions, it became hard to go to the island on foot. While it was easy to just attack the GOBLINs or the ORCs, the bloodlust they were emitting was not something that was easily overturned.
Where did they get this kind of number? How were they propagating?
“I wonder, is the eastern forest is still safe?”
When I sailed towards the eastern region fire was brimming in the eastern forest. I guess the GOBLINs and the ORCs were serious in dominating the forests. Sin there is still a lot of things I needed to do I could not allow the forest to burn so I also took action, disembark and started to go deeper into the forest to try and expel other demi-humans in the forest the soonest possible.
The GREYWOLVES, HUNTER CATS, FOREST WOLVES and the WERECATS were in a state of panic as they tried their best to expel the demi-humans made up of either ORCs or GOBLINS and stop them from using fires.
The beast types were at a disadvantage in this battle, with their enhanced smell which they use as their extra sensory for battle became a weakness as the thick smoke had also released a very strong burned scent.
“What happen to that guy?” I tried to complain to the panicked GREYWOLVES. But of course they did not answer and instead continued to attack the GOBLINs, thankfully for now they do not see me as an aggressor and left me to hunt the other GOBLINS or ORCS. The fire was getting thick and if this keeps up I will be burned alive here together with them.
“Tche!” I could not hide my frustration.
Just when I was panicking myself I heard a familiar howl
《HOWL》
“You’re late!”
The owner of the howl was someone I am familiar with after this guy almost killed me weeks ago. As soon as the boss of the eastern side arrived at the scene, he immediately started to decapitate the surrounding demi-humans, he seems to have noticed me as well but for some reason he was not picking on me today, well with his turf in flames, surely he has his priorities ranked. I also joined the battle. The fear I had ones felt when I heard the howl before was not totally completely affecting me.
With the boss doing its job protecting the forest the battle eventually subsided. I was at a loss when I could not figure out how to stop the fire, thankfully the rain started to fall. Although he was not picking a fight with me today, I was not about to stay any longer and incur his wrath. So I decided to leave.
“《RETURN TO SHIP》”
Back at the ship I decided to analyze as to why the demi-human suddenly encroachment the other regions.
*Achee
“But before that, let’s get out of these wet clothes.” I did not have any spare clothes so I had to remove them completely, dried them in the Atelier and used the bedding of from the captain’s chambers to cover my body.
I used this opportunity to sail around the island to see if there are still goblins in the shorelines. They were gone, both the GOBLINs and the ORCs abandoned their camps. I don’t think they were afraid of the rain. The reason is probably because they could not use the fire which the other inhabitants of the island feared.
Why did they attack in the first place? I don’t think this is an annual event from the looks of the forest when I first came here it was thick and almost untouched, meaning something like this has not happened before until now. There must have been something that changed their environment… but what?
