Infrasound Berserker - Chapter 26 Beans (Patreon)

Author's note: Heya. Sorry about the AH cliff. Wasn't intended. More hopefully this week (of AH).

PDF/EPUB Infrasound and chapters up to now: https://www.patreon.com/posts/56526610

Oh also I edited the end of chapter 25. And forgot about 2 stat points. They're there now too. And she's not using her auras anymore in the end of 25.

Chapter 26 Beans

Kate took in a deep breath and coughed, smoke drifting from the burning clothing. She glanced to the side and saw Ethan walk past the flames, his arms raised, a concentrated look on his face. A smile came to her lips as she winced, pain now mingling with the itching sensation. The burns hadn’t fully healed, her arms partially exposed.

She watched the flames flicker, dim, and vanish, Ethan walking to the next area before he repeated the magical feat.

That would’ve been useful throughout all those years, Kate thought as she blinked her eyes, her vision slightly blurry. She felt exhausted.

“Those don’t look very good,” Melusine said as she approached, kneeling down next to her.

“Had worse,” Kate murmured.

“Yes, I’m sure you have. Tough firewoman,” Melusine said with a smile as her hands started glowing.

The pain on her right arm was replaced by itching. Kate wasn’t sure which one she preferred. Of course she preferred the itching, but when the pain was entirely replaced, the answer didn’t seem quite as obvious anymore.

“You should eat and drink something. I know our bodies aren’t quite the same anymore with these numbers improving us, but all of this can’t be healthy. We’re still human,” Melusine said.

“I’m not entirely sure about that,” Kate said.

“Eat anyway,” Melusine said as she opened her pack. She got out a sandwich and handed it to Kate, then started putting together a gas cooker.

Kate removed the cling film and started eating. She was done in moments, her stomach rumbling. “You’re going to cook?”

“You’re not the only one who should eat. And something hot will help,” Melusine said, ramming a hunting knife into the top of a can of beans.

“Right, fair,” Kate said. Fighting monsters was definitely draining. And she hadn’t really noticed it. The sandwich wasn’t enough, but it was indeed what she had needed. She looked for her own pack and ate her sandwiches too, handing the can she had to Melusine.

She took in a deep breath. Kate scratched her arms, only now really looking around the hall. Her haze like battle state shrouded by magic helped her tune out everything that wasn’t necessary for her survival, but plenty of other things would be missed in the process.

The walls were a little too even to be something made by the monstrous creatures, or something to occur naturally. Torches were fastened to the stone walls, casting shadows where the others walked past. Crude wood poles were set up near the entrance, skulls set upon them. One looked human, the other deer like, both still had some dried blood stuck to them. Where the large creature had worked, a pile of meat and bone lay stacked up on a massive slab of stone. Dents and scratches showed on the workspace.

Kate gulped when she saw the jumble of body parts next to the stone. Deer, rabbits, birds, and humans. Plenty of humans. Dead eyes stared back at her, blood splattered shirts, missing limbs, fear stricken expressions. She looked away, staring instead at one of the torches, the fire moving in serene patterns. Kate heard her own teeth grinding, her pulse going up. Sitting here won’t do anything. She stood up, all the blood rushing to her head. Kate remained unmoving for a few seconds, the world spinning around her as she started hearing her pulse echo in her ears.

She opened her eyes. Her hearing cleared. Hammer, bodies, food. She went and grabbed her weapon, seeing that Ethan had finished putting out the flames. He worked together with Allison to fan the smoke out into the large cavern. Kate didn’t miss the small entrance on the other side of the hall, keeping her ears peeled. She found her bloodied weapon and grabbed it, collecting her knives in turn. She grabbed the knife stuck in the orc’s chest, looking at the tusked face of the dead creature.

Absurd, how alien it felt to kill something just a few days ago. She shook her head and ripped out the knife, wiping the blade on the monster’s loincloth. Kate stood up and walked over to the pile of bodies, sheathing the weapon on her belt.

Logan joined her as they silently moved one body away at a time, closing eyes and doing their best to lay them out with at least some dignity. There was no cloth around to cover them but everything was better than a pile.

“Did you level up?” Grey asked from the side, the man turning around one of the dead goblins, looking at the small staff the creature had carried.

Kate raised a brow, closing the eyes of a young boy. She couldn’t tell if he had even reached his teens. She ignored Grey’s question and looked at Logan. “Are you okay?” She looked at his broad armored back, his shoulders rising as he looked up. She stood up and walked over, grabbing his arm. “I’ll finish up here. Go eat something.”

The man looked at her, his face mostly hidden behind the slightly dented knight’s helmet. He nodded ever so slightly.

“Go,” she said again, watching him walk away. You’ve seen enough, old man. She looked over the bodies, most of them killed by stab wounds or cuts. Slaughtered in their homes. She moved the last three bodies, cleaning off some of the blood and dirt on their faces. Kate would’ve liked to do more for them but this was all there was. You can rest now.

Most of the others had gathered around the small gas cooker, Grey still looking through the monsters. He got to the massive creature and tried to move it.

Kate glanced behind the stone slab, seeing the small piles of bones. Human skulls seemed the most numerous among the heads she could spot. All of it was a mess. Bloody, bits and pieces of flesh still stuck to the bones. She heard the movement and then saw it, one of the strange growths on the nearby wall moving slightly. Brown and red mucus, veins pulsing as a being within stirred.

She walked over and watched with a strange fascination as claws ripped through the fleshy membrane, an orc fighting its way out of the disgusting cocoon. The creature fell to the ground, legs unsteady. It looked up and opened two bloodshot yellow eyes.

Kate swung wide when the creature bared its teeth, straining its legs to move forward. Her hammer impacted the monster’s arm as it tried to protect its head. The bone snapped, its forearm crushed as it stumbled to the side and groaned. The next strike slammed against its head, bringing the creature down. Kate walked over and raised her hammer, splitting its skull with the spike.

The others had moved out, their weapons at the ready.

Kate turned her head and looked at Ethan, the young man wincing slightly. “Burn everything.”

He nodded slightly and walked forward, his eyes focusing on the ground. Either because of the corpses or because of Kate. She didn’t much care.

This smell is fucking terrible. She walked over to the slab and leaned against it, watching the fire mage work his magic. They would have to deal with the smoke again but she could feel a slight breeze moving through the hall, meaning there was at least some ventilation.

Grey joined her side and started laying out a few things. The small wooden staff, a metal necklace adorned with various small bones, and a small red gem. “I think these are magical items. I couldn’t check the Battle Ogre yet, maybe you can help me with that.” He pointed at the flesh growths on the walls. “So this is where they spawn.”

“I’m not sure if spawn is the right word,” Kate said, her words coming out with some bite.

“I…” Grey said before he went quiet.

She glanced over, seeing the man slightly slouched. “You did well.” She grabbed the red gem and looked at it. “These were all people. People with lives. Jobs. Homes. Friends and families. This isn’t a game, no matter how many numbers there are inside of our heads, or how many strange caverns there now are in these fucking mountains. Or how many monsters infest our valley.”

“Yes,” he said in a quiet voice.

“So how do you know these things are magical?” Kate asked. She felt a strange pulse from the gem. As if she touched a very weak electrical current. Interesting.

“S… something is s… strange about them. They feel unnatural,” he said. “I thought maybe putting them on would show them… well they do show but not what they do. Maybe they just don’t do anything, but maybe we just don’t have the skills to figure it out. Sometimes in games t-” he quieted down and looked to the ground.

“It’s fine. I know this stuff is similar. Stats and skills, magical items. What did you want to say?” Kate said.

“I… well… to identify things… there are sometimes spells for that. Sometimes scrolls, or even a person in some hub town to do that for you. A magical book even. Or maybe we just have to try them out and see what happens, tinker with them for a little while, attune to them somehow,” he explained.

“Seems like a risk,” Kate said.

“I agree. They might even be cursed,” Grey said.

“Keep them with you for now. We’ll think about it when we’re back,” Kate said. She watched the last of the strange growths burn away, Ethan now walking by with a cloth covering his face.

He gave her a slight nod.

“Thank you,” Kate said as she pushed off from the stone slab. She jabbed Grey’s shoulder. “Come on, you should eat something too. We’ll check the large monster after.”

They all walked over, and sat down near the waiting group.

Melusine stirred the beans. “Cups.”

Kate got hers out of the pack and handed it over, waiting with her spoon as the woman filled it with hot beans. She started gulping them down a moment later. My favorite fucking food. Unsalted beans.

“You don’t have to like it,” Melusine said.

Mind reader, Kate thought, squinting her eyes. “Thanks. They’re calories.”

Logan chuckled. “That they are.”

“We know what happened to the bodies now,” Jon said, his eyes on the corpses. He looked tired. Then again, they all did.

“Calories,” Kate murmured, huffing slightly. She looked up to find Jon staring at her.

Allison snickered. “Sorry,” she said.

Kate didn’t find it particularly funny, but black humor was one way to deal with horrific things. With everything the others had seen now, she didn’t think trying to pretend things were fine was reasonable. “There is another exit to this hall. Maybe there are more of them.”

“It’s soon going to get dark,” Jon said. “I don’t want to leave the others alone for much longer.”

“The way back shouldn’t be too dangerous with the sun still out,” Kate said. “But I don’t want to leave this undone. Not with what we found here.”

“Then… we’ll come with you,” Jon said, looking at Melusine.

Kate looked to Logan.

“I agree with both of you,” Logan said. “In case more monsters attack at night, there should be some of us at the castle. But we fought our way into this hall. If there is more, we should finish it here and now. Jon, you look exhausted. As do you, Melusine. Ethan, you used a lot of magic. I can still heal a little, and we have our first aid kits. Grey, how do you feel?”

“I’m… okay,” the man answered, gulping as he glanced to the ground.

“That’s a good thing,” Logan said and touched his shoulder. “Kate, Grey, and I will explore a little more of this cavern. Everyone else will go back. Rest up if you can, and barricade yourselves in the armory.”

“I don’t know if this is a good idea,” Jon said.

“He’s right, Jon. I don’t know how much I can use my magic anymore,” Mel said.

“I’m standing in the way anyway,” Allison said. “And I’ve seen enough violence for several lifetimes. I’ll lead them back.”

Ethan walked over to one of the corpses and grabbed one of the crude orcish blades. He gulped and looked at Logan. “I’ll… I’ll protect them.”

Logan smiled. “Good. And I agree, it’s not a good idea. But I don’t have anything better.” He looked at them as if to ask for any alternatives.

None of them spoke up.

“Then let’s not waste anymore time. Come on, we’ll check if the cavern is empty and see you off,” Logan said as he cleaned out the small pan, Melusine putting away the cooker before they readied their packs.

Kate drank from her canteen when Allison walked over and took off her jacket.

“Let’s switch. You need it more,” the woman said.

“It’s covered in blood,” Kate said.

Allison shrugged and held out the jacket. “Well observed. And here I thought all you can do is hit things with a hammer.”

“I’m surprisingly good at it,” Kate said in a deadpan voice, taking off the remains of her jacket before she handed it over. She put on the other one and closed the zipper.

“Not sure if it’s anything to be proud of. But I suppose it’s good to have… with the monsters and all,” Allison said as she looked around the hall, glancing down at her bloodied and shredded jacket. She looked positively disgusted. “This is going to be a pain to fix.”

“They’re there to be used,” Logan said from the side, shouldering his massive blade.

“Used. Not used up,” Allison said. “Now come, knight. Protect us as we leave this stinking dread hole.”

Logan glanced at Kate.

“She’s talking to you,” Kate said and motioned towards the exit.

They traversed the suspension bridge and soon reached the glow stick. The caverns leading outside were quiet, as was the forest outside. They waited and watched for a few minutes, binoculars out as Kate listened to the wind. She heard a few birds in the distance, some nearby critters rushing over the forest floor. Squirrels. She would’ve never spotted them without her hearing.

“Seems clear enough,” Logan said.

“Good luck,” Allison said as she started towards the forest, followed by the others.

“Run if you get injured,” Melusine said. “That’s not a suggestion.”

“Yes ma’am,” Logan said as he slightly nudged his greatsword.

Ethan glanced back at them and nodded, holding the orc blade with both hands.

Jon looked a little guilty as he hefted his crossbow. “We’ll see each other at the castle.”

“We will,” Kate said. They watched the group move away and towards the slope of the mountains, the gray clothes better camouflage than she initially thought. I should check my levels. She walked back into the cavern and leaned against the wall.

Grey walked towards the tunnel leading down and waited with his blade at the ready.

Logan sighed as he joined them. “The messages. Right.”

Kate smiled. At least I’m not the only one.

‘ding’ ‘You have defeated [Orc Warrior]’
‘ding’ ‘You have defeated [Orc Warrior]’
…
‘ding’ ‘You have defeated [Battle Ogre]’

‘ding’ ‘Berserker reaches lvl 13’

Stat points +2
Perseverance +1

‘ding’ ‘Mindless Ferocity reaches lvl 17’

‘ding’ ‘Furious Dance reaches lvl 16’

‘ding’ ‘Reckless Charge reaches lvl 13’

‘ding’ ‘Hunting Leap reaches lvl 4’

‘ding’ ‘Shattering Step reaches lvl 2’

‘ding’ ‘Toll for the Living reaches lvl 14’

‘ding’ ‘Courage of the Unarmored reaches lvl 12’
‘ding’ ‘Courage of the Unarmored reaches lvl 13’

‘ding’ ‘Two Handed Weapon Fighting reaches lvl 13’

‘ding’ ‘Intimidating Presence reaches lvl 4’

‘ding’ ‘Silent Striker reaches lvl 6’

Serenity +1

‘ding’ ‘Bewildering Wave reaches lvl 2’

‘ding’ ‘Heightened Hearing reaches lvl 7’
‘ding’ ‘Heightened Hearing reaches lvl 8’

Back into the cave without Melusine. Kate put her two stat points into Vitality. She took in a sharp breath when she felt the heat rush through her, cracking her neck as she turned her hammer.

“Ready?” Logan asked as he joined them.

Kate glanced back at his bloodied metal armor. She flicked on her headlamp. “Yeah.”

Kate Lindgren

Unspent stat points: 0

Class: Berserker – lvl 13

- Active: Mindless Ferocity – lvl 17
- Active: Furious Dance – lvl 16
- Active: Reckless Charge – lvl 13
- Active: Hunting Leap – lvl 4
- Active: Shattering Step – lvl 2
- Passive: Toll for the Living – lvl 14
- Passive: Courage of the Unarmored – lvl 13
- Passive: Two Handed Weapon Fighting – lvl 13
- Passive: Unrelenting Carnage – lvl 4
- Passive: Intimidating Presence – lvl 4

Support class: Silent Striker – lvl 6

- Active: Frightening Growl – lvl 3
- Active: Bewildering Wave – lvl 2
- Active:
- Passive: Heightened Hearing – lvl 8
- Passive:
- Passive:

Status:

Vitality: 23
Endurance: 17
Perseverance: 13
Strength: 17
Dexterity: 8
Intelligence: 7
Wisdom: 10
Serenity: 6

Equipment:

Torso: -
Legs: -
Trinket: -
Food: -