The Quiz

Knock Knock

"Come in!"

He entered, closing the door on his way in and following the voice's origin. Although the home was a lot more spacious than his inn room, this chamber still felt stifling due to the piles of books and the desks covered in monster remains.

He found his target in the center of the room, analyzing blood samples from a Salamander.

She turned to him, adjusting her glasses with one hand and holding a vial in the other. "Good morning! How can I help you, Mr..."

"Egawa. Are you the leader of the... Scaly Monsters Club?"

Michelle looked around what was supposed to be the club room, which had turned into a miniature lab because of the lack of members... but it looked like things were about to change!

"Yeah! Do you wanna join?" She asked excitedly, stepping up to him.

Egawa hesitated. His relationship with monsters was as simple as it could get. They appeared, he exterminated them. Chatting about them wasn't his expertise. He'd just come here to invite Michelle to a hunt since they had a license in common.

But if he was bad at small talk, he was even worse at denying such a passionate offer.

He came here to connect with a fellow hunter, right? It wouldn't hurt him if he said yes. Even if he didn't even know what the Scaly Monsters Club did.

"... Sure."

Michelle almost jumped in the air, holding herself back only because she was holding a precious sample. Finally! A member! She took his hand and shook it vigorously.

"Welcome to the club, Egawa! Let me show you around—" The bespectacled girl turned around, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"Can we go hunting first? It's why I came here in the first place..."

A field trip with her new member? How could she refuse?

"What did you have in mind?" Michelle asked with a bright grin.


[Quiz]


The Yuntai Ruins. An underground maze whose entrance was surrounded by a swamp. Hunters and adventurers had gone on many expeditions here over the years but never managed to fully map the structure. Michelle liked the place as a study focus, to research the civilization that built it. Egawa held an attachment to the area because it was the first region he traveled to outside his birthplace.

The swamp itself had no outstanding qualities to it. The water was dirty, the air was hot and humid, and the vegetation was comprised of tall grass and thin trees.

The pair stepped through the murky waters, vigilant to what lurked below.

"So, Egawa, what monster do you think is the coolest?" Michelle asked, trying to know her new club member.

He took a few moments to answer, face scrunching in concentration as he tried to recall every kind of creature he'd slain over the years.

"The Phoenix," He ended up replying.

"Eh? Why? If we're talking regeneration, then Hydras are so much better!"

The sunbird appealed to his simplistic sense of aesthetics. Having lived under a desert for most of his life, beauty to him was something that managed to stand out even in the harshest daylight. Something that dazzled and emitted warmth.

"... It's shiny."

Although that was his reasoning, he was not eloquent enough to give it justice. Predictably, Michelle was not satisfied. "Hydras are shiny too! Their mouths glow when they're using the elemental breaths."

He shook his head, hair swaying side to side. "Not as shiny."

She was prepared to argue more when both detected a movement behind them. The pale boy turned around, bow already summoned to his hand and drawn.

"Wait—!"

He released the string.

"Don't kill it yet..." Michelle whined as the Great Jagras collapsed, its head pierced by an arrow of light.

He checked for any more hostiles before turning to his hunting partner. "Did you say something?"

Michelle beckoned him to follow her while she approached the dead monster. It was a clean kill by her club member, only damaging the creature's skull and brain, so at least she could harvest its parts.

"This is what the Scaly Monsters Club is all about! We don't just talk about monsters; we study them live...! Or close to it."

She began to carve it, storing its organs in bags summoned from her pocket dimension and dismissed a second later. Michelle was an old hand at this, so the process took less than a minute despite the creature's towering size. All the while, she muttered little facts about the beast's former health.

"It didn't have a meal today... we were his first target."

"Size is about 260 centimeters... a few months from reaching maturity."

She banished her bloody gloves, wiped some sweat from her brow, summoned new ones, and turned to Egawa, who was giving her a look reminiscent of a child watching an adult at work.

"I'd appreciate it if you could hold back on any monsters we find until I can fully analyze them as specimens."

He took a moment to process what she said. "... You want me to not kill the monsters?"

"Only the ones with scales! And it's just for a few moments, I'm very quick at studying them." She had to be. Otherwise, she would never find any parties to work with.

"Isn't that dangerous?"

All his life, he had been taught to finish his prey quickly because cornered animals were the most deadly. His experience with wildlife came from the few patterns he recognized as he killed tens of thousands of the same creatures. Holding back on a mark to analyze it was antithetical to his entire modus operandi.

Michelle tilted her head. "I mean, yeah? But so is hunting in general, don't you think?" She mused, walking away from the dead beast.

Egawa kept pace, bow still in hand. Now that blood had been spilled in the area, it would be futile to dismiss his weapon.

"Sometimes. A hunt is only as dangerous as you make it." He declared.

Killing monsters was as natural as breathing for him. He'd only faced true peril twice during his hunts. Both times, the problem was not the monster's strength, cunning, or special abilities; but something lacking within himself. Lack of preparation. Lack of discipline. Underestimating the target. Ignoring the terrain.

Michelle hummed. "That's a decent point. If you know how much you can handle and how much your enemy can dish out, you'll always emerge victorious. But that makes what we do here even more important! Each time we find a specimen, we accumulate more insights to slay it faster when we find it again!"

"But I killed it fast without having to study it before."

As if to reinforce his point, Egawa spotted a pack of feathered creatures a hundred meters away. He shot half a dozen heads in less than a second, stopping them on the prowl.

"Huh... you're saying that monster was so weak, we don't need to study it to know how to defeat it. But stronger monsters are too dangerous, so we shouldn't take them lightly by making them into case studies. Did I get that right?"

Egawa nodded, unconsciously smiling. He was glad Michelle understood him, even with his lack of fluency. His party member's intelligence was admirable.

"But you're forgetting one thing, Egawa."

"What?"

"Fun."

The pale boy blinked. Less than a human and more of a killing machine for most of his life, abstract concepts like honor, family, belonging, or fun were hard for him to grasp.

Michelle saw his dumbfounded expression and wrapped an arm around his shoulder, bringing him close to dispense some much-needed wisdom. "You're technically right. There comes a point where knowledge won't make you more efficient. But I still gather it because it's fun! There's nothing quite like the thrill of discovery," She finished, nodding.

He could somewhat see it. There was an aura, an atmosphere around Michelle. It had been there ever since she entered her element, making her glow even as she grabbed monster guts with her gloved hands. It was the reason he had watched her work. He was fascinated by the enjoyment she got from their profession, something he couldn't relate to.

"How do I have fun like you?"

Michelle dragged him forward, her smile lighting up the tree-shaded swamp. "Just follow my lead!"

GRRROAARRRRR

She felt it even before the trees started to shake. A dangerous monster had awakened from its slumber.

"That conjoined sound... it's a Hydra! Egawa, Egawa, there's a Hydra around here!" She cheered, shaking him.

Had he been alone, he would already be setting traps or looking for a high place to use his bow. However, now he wanted to experience Michelle's hunting style for himself.

"How do you want to approach?"

"I'll batter it from up close, you cover me with your bow. Don't kill it," His party member requested, releasing him and calling her hammer into existence.

"Also, I'm going to quiz you during the fight!" She added before running ahead, leaving him thoroughly confused.

The Hydra's seven heads peered over the treeline, which was steadily collapsing as the massive beast slithered west, drooling from its many mouths. Its scales were a dark purple, almost black in tone, but its fourteen eyes shone a bright violet.

Michelle slowed down as she got close to the beast, wanting to study its behavior outside of battle for a few moments. Egawa came up from behind her, recognizing her desire for silence and moving as stealthily as he could.

"Do you know why it woke up, Egawa?"

"Yes."

She waited for more, but he did not elaborate.

"... Why?"

"It smelled the Jagras we killed earlier."

Michelle nodded, satisfied. But that was an easy one.

The pale boy gripped his bow. "What's a quiz?"

She blinked rapidly, thinking he was joking, before seeing the genuine interest on his face. It seemed she had her work cut out for her.

"It's something to make the fight more fun. I'll ask you questions about the Hydra as we battle it, and if you get enough right, I'll give you a prize!"

Since she was the one experienced with having fun, he decided to follow her lead. "Alright."

Michelle almost laughed at the overly focused expression on his face. He hadn't even asked what the prize was.

One of the Hydra's heads turned to them. Three more followed.

"It spotted us. What elements does it have for the elemental breath?" Another easy one.

"... Water." It was the only thing it could gather from the swamp after waking up.

"Wrong!" She said, poking him in the nose. "Well~ partially right. It also has darkness."

From the swamp's depths? No, that wouldn't be enough to fuel a cursed element. "From the ruins?"

Michelle clapped, delighted that her club member was getting into the game. "Right, right! It gathers the lingering magic from that ancient place. I'll give you 5 points for the half-answer!"

The monster growled several times at once, turning its body towards them.

"One more before I go hit it with my hammer. How old is this Hydra?"

Egawa frowned. He only faced two Hydras in his lifetime: one far more enormous than this one and its spawn, which was half its volume.

"I don't know."

Michelle shook her head. "That's not a real answer. C'mon, give me a guess."

He studied the multi-headed beast, seeing how it focused four heads on them, and three on the other cardinal directions. It recognized them as hunters and was looking for more at a distance.

"Around 18 years old." Not that ancient for a monster, but older than him, at least.

His hunting buddy clapped him on the back, pleasantly surprised. "10 points!"

Not finding any backup for them, the Hydra advanced, trees flying away with its charge. Two of its mouths gargled before expelling twin water jets at immense pressure.

The pair of hunters had anticipated it. The archer leaped to the right, landing on top of a branch with four arrows summoned between his fingers. The researcher darted behind another piece of vegetation, circling around the Hydra's elemental breaths. The heads were blinded a second later, courtesy of Egawa. Michelle jumped, smashing her hammer down on one of them.

BOOM

Her hammer seemed to explode on top of her target, releasing a shockwave that created waves on the swamp. She landed on the falling head and hopped to another with her weapon raised. Another explosion of force and more arrows piercing the beast's eyes made it thrash in pain... but not confusion. Even without its eyes, the Hydra could still sense its prey through smell. A trio of gaping maws surrounded Michelle midway through her third leap. Two released water and curses while the third tried to crunch her head.

The third head was decapitated by a projectile. To call it an arrow would be a disservice to it. It was more like a burning, glowing, oversized lance with an arrow at its core.

Another light lance tore through a second head, and Michelle swung her hammer at the remaining one, smashing it into the tree line.

"What's its regeneration speed?!" The researcher asked, landing on the muddy water and running to another pair of skulls.

Egawa's bow disappeared as he gathered magical power in his hand. A miniature star burst into life within the marshlands, then died in a ray of light, burning away one of the Hydra's headless necks.

"Three seconds," He concluded, watching another head grow, while the one he burned remained a stump.

"Two-point seventy-five! But I'll let you round it up." She accepted his answer, mentally tallying up his points and bashing her gun-hammer at the regenerating skull. The Hydra lashed out with its tail, smacking Michelle like a skipping stone across the murky waters. She got up one second later, unharmed but thoroughly dirtied.

That second was enough for the Hydra to recover and focus on its nearest enemy, spewing several geysers at the archer, who was already in the air before the first drop of water exited the mouths. In a single breath, sixteen arrows were summoned and fired. Some were ordinary projectiles, others had light reinforcing their frames, and a few were expanded by his sacred element and turned into lances.

When Michelle returned to the battle site, the Hydra was no longer moving, all seven heads slumped on the ground. She opened her mouth to scold her party member, but then one of the heads twitched, breathing a dark smoke.

Michelle squealed in joy. It was alive! Thoroughly pinned down by giant light constructs, but alive! Egawa had held back at the last second before unleashing his attack.

"Nice job!" Michelle said, raising a hand for a high-five. He was starting to embody that Scaly Monsters Club spirit!

"..."

The archer looked at her suspended arm with a blank face, not understanding the gesture. Her smile faltered briefly before her hand lowered slowly.

Egawa's eyes widened as he came to a sudden realization. The pale boy grabbed Michelle's wrist, stopping her hand from reverting to its usual position.

"Eh?"

"Here."

The sacred element purified her body, cleaning her clothes and skin from the swamp's dirty water.

"T-Thanks?" Not really what she was looking for, but she'd take it. He released her a moment later, and she patted down her dress, marveling at the magic's effect.

"... Are you going to study it now?" He asked as she stepped ahead of him. She paused, turning to him with a slightly guilty expression.

"Oops! I almost got ahead of myself and forgot the last question." Having a Hydra to explore had gotten her too hyped. "Did you have fun?"

Egawa tilted his head, pondering her question. At the start, there had been hope that he could become as joyful as her. But following her into action and inspecting the Hydra for facts hadn't sparked anything within him.

"... I don't know. My heart was beating a bit faster at the start, but I didn't feel any different after that."

Michelle frowned, tapping a finger against her arm. "Hmm... let's keep going and see if that changes." After getting the first member of her club, it'd be awful if he didn't enjoy its activities, so she wanted to try until the last second.

She beckoned him, and he followed, walking around the beast. The researcher took measurements of the Hydra's size, vitals, and defining characteristics like its throats and scales. Egawa watched her life light up each time she found something different compared to the previous exhibit of the species she'd examined.

"I think I got it," He said out of nowhere.

"Huh?! You do? What is it?"

"I like seeing you happy." It was a similar feeling to what he had with his old mentor.

Her shoulders slumped. "Egawa... that's not really unique. I'm pretty sure most people enjoy seeing others happy."

"Oh... carry on, then."

"Don't you have anything to say about the Hydra?"

"... I still like Phoenixes more."

Michelle pouted.


[Quiz]


Back at the Scaly Monsters Club Headquarters, Michelle and Egawa carried samples of the monster they apprehended minutes earlier. At his club leader's sincere request, the archer left the Hydra alive in its habitat because she wanted to study its growth in the future. That type of beast was rare to come across, and it was rare that a hunter complied with her requests, so she was in an exceptional mood.

"Alright!" She cheered, dusting her hands off after putting down a bag filled with scales. She turned to her tentative clubmate, who was looking at a diagram of a Jyuratodus.

"Soooo... Egawa." He turned to her. "Are you going to stay in the club? I know you didn't like researching that Hydra as much as me, but it might be an acquired taste for you?"

The pale boy looked at his fellow hunter, puzzled. "I don't mind staying. I thought you were going to kick me out because I know nothing about research, and I'm not even sure if I like it."

"N-Nonsense! The SMC is always ready to reach out to anyone who wants to give it an earnest try!"

She didn't want to be alone in the club room anymore. Having a hunting buddy who was receptive to leaving some monsters alive was like a blessing, even if he was a little rough... a lot rough around the edges.

Egawa nodded. "I'll be in your care, then."

"Excellent! And before I forget... here's your quiz prize!" She announced, pulling it out from her pocket dimension.

Egawa reached for it, taking it from her hands as if it would break at the slightest touch. A gift from his first hunting buddy.

"It's a journal detailing all my expeditions to the ruins. It's our shared license, right? So next time you go there, you'll know all sorts of trivia along with the best hunting spots!"

Egawa beamed at her, holding the book with one hand, clutching it close to his body. "Thanks, Michelle."

His smile turned a bit awkward after a moment. "... I don't know how to read, though."

Michelle's grin froze and shattered into pieces. It seemed the Scaly Monsters Club's second member still had a long way to go.

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Pub: 26 Apr 2023 03:42 UTC

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