Monster Battlefield! Harvest

A Gravorg awoke from its hidden subterranean lair, having caught a faint, alien scent from afar. The cunning beast first scanned its surroundings with caution, and once certain of its safety, it scrambled out of the den with clumsy yet rapid movements, heading toward the source of the smell. It did not lower its guard, however; at every suspicious turn, the Gravorg would freeze, utilizing its natural camouflage to blend into the environment until it was sure no danger lurked nearby.

This large predatory beast was distinct from the Otyugh, another subterranean scavenger; it was both more powerful and far greedier. The creature, which resembled a four-legged sloth, measured ten feet in length. Its fur was a mottled mix of white, gray, and black, allowing it to look like nothing more than a large boulder when stationary. To feed, a Gravorg might travel from one dungeon or cavern to another far-off location, leaving behind nothing but piles of bleached bones and shattered equipment in its wake.

The Gravorg is a large magical beast. While it possesses sharp teeth and claws, it rarely uses them for self-defense, preferring to use them only to tear apart prey it has already secured. It much prefers to rely on its spell-like abilities to hunt.

The scent of blood grew stronger, and the Gravorg excitedly clawed at the stone walls. However, its sluggish speed severely limited the amount of prey it could secure, as the underworld was teeming with far too many scavenging monsters.

The Gravorg hurried through a narrow mine shaft. In truth, it detested moving through such cramped spaces, as they hindered its innate abilities; it preferred vast, open caverns. Yet, hunger and greed overcame its reason.

As the beast stepped into the battlefield, several Carrion Worms, which had been gorging themselves, hissed in panic. These multi-legged, segmented monsters reached eight or nine feet in length and resembled a cross between a green caterpillar and a cephalopod. Eight slender tentacles extended from the mandibles of each worm, each about two feet long, capable of secreting a paralyzing, sticky substance. These large aberrations, possessing keen vision and smell, had sensed the Gravorg's approach early on. They twisted their fat bodies in a desperate attempt to flee, but having gorged themselves, they were as slow as oxen. Seeing the Gravorg closing in, the Carrion Worms were forced to cluster together, waving their tentacles in a warning to keep the opponent at bay.

The Gravorg was not a skilled pursuer; its running speed was simply too slow. It was more accustomed to using its unique spell-like abilities to ambush prey. However, the overfed Carrion Worms were clearly even slower. Once within range, the Gravorg excitedly unleashed its innate power. Instantly, all objects in the vicinity—including the Carrion Worms, the remaining Kobold corpses, their scattered remains and gear, and various stone fragments—floated toward the ceiling of the tunnel, only to lose their support and crash back down.

Clutching a Kobold corpse and tearing at it, the Gravorg repeatedly activated and deactivated its ability. Everything within a fifty-foot radius of the beast was tossed up and slammed down like a pile of ragdolls. The tunnel was only fourteen or fifteen feet high; while the Gravorg's ability left the Carrion Worms dazed and confused, it clearly could not inflict significant damage upon them.

As aggressive subterranean scavengers, the provoked Carrion Worms were not ones to sit and wait for death. They waved their tentacles and struggled to close the distance, attempting to use their paralyzing touch to subdue the beast. Having finished the last of the Kobold corpses, the Gravorg set its sights on the struggling, hissing Carrion Worms. Although it could use its innate ability at will, doing so drained its stamina. It began to attack one of the worms with its sharp claws and teeth, but its poor melee skills cost it dearly, and the Carrion Worm's paralyzing tentacles lashed out and ensnared it.

On their return journey, William and his companions encountered many strange monsters, most of which scrambled to avoid the excavation team. A small number of aggressive creatures, however, launched attacks against them. Naturally, these overconfident monsters met a miserable end, either hacked into frozen corpses by Phinia's Frost Giant Axe or smashed into pulp by the brutal dwarf.

As the group approached the battlefield where they had encountered the Kobolds, an intense, bloody stench and a bizarre, foul odor washed over them. Singers' expression changed instantly, and he roared in alarm, "Damn it! Carrion Worms! Those brainless, evil pests!" Clearly, Singers had recognized the source of the stench.

Carrion Worms were a major enemy of the dwarves in the deep. The paralyzing ability of their foul-smelling tentacles was a source of terror for any melee fighter, even though the tentacles caused no damage other than paralysis. Fortunately, the dwarves could use the creatures' stench to detect them in advance.

Yet, William and his companions did not retreat. They did not want to return empty-handed, especially since William's strength gave the group enough confidence. Of course, Singers relied on William's fire power; though he disliked magic, the dwarf acknowledged the potency of this mysterious force. In just one day, the sixty or seventy Kobold corpses had been devoured by the scavengers, leaving only broken spears and debris, but the mass of flesh ahead shocked the group even more.

The Gravorg had finally tasted what it meant to be frustrated! In any other environment, even ten times as many Carrion Worms would not have been a match for it, but today, it had been beaten to death by a mere four monsters in this narrow tunnel. One Carrion Worm was dead and another severely wounded; the remaining two, suffering only light injuries, fled the scene after their victory, as their paralyzing tentacles had been nearly torn off by the Gravorg.

The gruesome scene caused the two youngsters to hide far behind. William and Singers approached the monster carcasses, holding a torch and a Bullseye Lantern.

"It's Carrion Worms! Those disgusting pests! Looks like a brutal fight!" Singers covered his nose, staring in surprise at the tangled mess of monsters. The paralyzing tentacles of a Carrion Worm were highly valuable magical materials; it was said that the toxins for the Dark Elf paralyzing arrows were derived from them, and surface mages were also very fond of these rare, precious items. The severely wounded Carrion Worm slowly lost its life, and William chopped off its remaining two tentacles with a few strikes.

"What an unexpected harvest! Haha! I can almost smell the aroma of a barrel of fine ale!" The one-eyed dwarf excitedly held the leather bag containing the Carrion Worm tentacles. Aside from the eight tentacles crushed into pulp, William and Singers had recovered ten intact tentacles and nine partial tips.

None of them recognized the more valuable Gravorg, but the group now faced a more difficult problem: whether to return to Mirabar or continue forward. If they pressed on, the heavy scent of blood would attract more unknown monsters. Based on the terror of the Carrion Worms as described by Singers, they were likely to face even greater danger; no one could say how many fierce and dangerous monsters lurked in the underworld. However, the purpose of their trip had not yet been achieved, and returning now felt like a failure. Singers was equally torn.

Looking at the young girl behind him, William decided to return to Mirabar; it was too dangerous for the little one here, and there was no telling what strange things might appear. Since they had decided to return, Singers did not want to go back empty-handed. The group adamantly refused to carry the foul-smelling Carrion Worm corpses, so the Gravorg's body, washed clean with water, became their final trophy.

Mirabar had specialized magic shops run by the Mercenary Association or other organizations. These shops purchased magical items and materials that adventurers happened upon during their travels but had no use for, or they posted notices for materials needed by mages. Of course, they also occasionally sold expensive magical items.

The return of Singers and his group caused quite a stir. It was a time when many foreign merchants were gathered in the city. The strange, foul odor on the group (primarily William, Singers, and the contaminated Gravorg) made a few onlookers realize what monsters they had encountered, and the discussions of these people led others to look upon Singers and William with great admiration. This was an era of champions and heroes, and people respected and celebrated those powerful warriors and their deeds.

By the time Sunderland received the news, William and his companions had already reached the entrance of the magic shop, surrounded by a crowd of onlookers. Singers' friend, the commander of the Axe of Mirabar, Torg Danzo Hammer-Striker, was directing his soldiers to maintain order.