by Dakota Krout
“Then again, all I really need to do is reduce them far enough that the tree can't support itself,” Joe mused as he cast his spell at a patch of brambles while sipping his coffee. “If the tree is attacking, swinging back and forth… hmm. Maybe I don't need to reduce the root to zero to win.”
He kept at it, sipping his coffee and using his spell until he ran out of coffee. Then he just cast the spell until it started getting too dark to clearly see what he was aiming at. He went over to have dinner, then found a bed and crashed. When he got up, he looked at his skill gain with a cheerful expression.
Wither Plant (Apprentice V). Just how much do you hate plants to have gained nearly ten levels in this skill overnight?
“That’s… thirteen seconds of casting, well, sixteen. And that makes… forty inches. Wait. Did the spell get weaker?” Joe looked at his mental math, and it had indeed gotten weaker. “What in the…? Did I make the spell wrong?”
Joe looked over the spell, but it was correctly made; he knew it was. “Huh. I guess… I need to get it to the student ranks to see what happens? At that point, if there is no change… I’ll stop using the spell?”
Discouraged, he got up and took a few hours to tackle all of his characteristic training, starting with strength and constitution and moving on to his standard four-aspect training. Gaining a point in six characteristics was a heady feeling, and he decided he liked it.
“Oh nice, intelligence got to seventy-five!” Joe hopped up and went to find his team. They had anticipated him… no. Jess. He looked to the side, and there she was. She glanced away when their eyes met, but he could see the smirk on her face. “Ah… you guys?”
“Yup, ready to go.” Alexis seemed to realize that he was caught off-guard and couldn't hide a smile either. “Jess told us that you were about done with your training for the day and that you were gonna want to go out again really soon.”
“So, we got ready!” Jaxon chimed in.
Joe blew air out of his nose, a disgruntled chuckle. “Let’s go kill some tree people. Jess! Give yourself a small raise, and if you say ‘done’, we are going to go have a talk!”
Jess’s mouth closed with an audible *click*. Joe glared at her suspiciously until he was through the door to the Pathfinder’s Hall.
Chapter Twenty-three
‘’Alright, shall we go over what we did wrong during the last trip?” Joe looked around, getting confusion in reply. It appeared that his attempt to emulate Tiona hadn't been as successful as he had hoped it would be. “Basically, I am looking for us to discuss our weak points and how we can improve after what happened last time.”
“Ah think yer gonna haveta take the lead on this one.” Bard shook his head at Joe’s insistence on talking whenever there was silence. “Nah gon’ display mah faults for all yah ta pick at.”
“That’s not at all what I…” Joe scratched at his neck as he tried to explain, “Fine, look. Here is what I failed at. I didn't have proper spells for what we faced, and I didn't adapt as quickly as I should have to the situation. I was negligent at night, too used to everything in the area being weaker than us, and it led to me dying. I am trying to fix that by using a new spell and will be far more wary.”
“So, you just want us to talk about little things like that?” Jaxon cocked his head to the side and grinned. “That's easy! I plan to get hit less and hit other things more often!”
“You aren't–” Joe started to complain.
Alexis joined in, “Same here! More damage out, less coming in.”
Joe was sputtering, and he fumbled his words a few times before noticing that his friends were chuckling and holding back full laughter. “Oh, ha ha, make fun of the guy trying to help you improve!”
“At this point, we can see the forest, Joe.” Poppy wiped his eyes. “Ah, needed that. Anyway! I think we all tried to figure out a way to do better. Let's just go ahead and assume we are all adults and don't need to be spoon-fed? Sound good? I like it. Let’s make like those trees and kill anything that comes too close.”
Bard shook his head. “Ah feel sad tha’ idioms are changing so much.”
“Let’s make like a tree and bark?” Jaxon tried, getting an eye roll from the Skald.
“Nah. Trying ta force it… is jus’ sad.”
The group walked into the forest and stuttered to a stop. Joe looked around, trying to figure out why he felt so out of place. He could tell that the others were feeling the same way. “Are we… did we come in at the same place as last time?”
“We definitely did,” Alexis confirmed. “At least, we entered the forest at the same place. Unless this place had some drastic growth, this isn't the same area.”
There were trees and rocks that had fungus, moss, and all sorts of different colors and plants in the understory. It was obvious that they were in a different part of the forest than the last time they had been here, but the question was how? Alexis ventured a guess, “You think that is going to be a recurring theme? That each time we enter here, we get a new location as our starting point?”
“It’d make sense,” Bard rumbled, stroking his burgeoning beard. “A defense mechanism for the forest? Make it so tha’ people with no reason ta be here get turned about, make ‘em wanna leave?”
“Make them want to leaf?” Jaxon watched Bard in anticipation of a good reaction.
Bard cupped his face in his hands. “I shoulda jus’ left well enough alone, huh?”
“That may be the root of the problem, yes.”
“Either way, we don't know if the monsters in the area are going to be the same as the last time that we entered, so keep a close eye on your surroundings,” Joe cut into the conversation. They all went silent as a crash echoed through the area, though they started moving a little faster. “Let’s try and find some… shelter. Crud.”
A strange, sinister sound came from in front of them as what Joe had thought was a flowering bush stood up and turned to look at them. It was some kind of… animal? It was green and had all sorts of vines and leaves woven on it, like a new kind of fur. There were roses dotting the entire creature, which looked like a cross between a wolf, tiger, and compost pile. It smelled like a compost pile as well, which they noticed as the wind shifted.
“Joe, you have a new spell, you said?” Alexis quietly asked, trying not to draw too much attention. “Wanna show us how it works?”
“Not gonna be too useful on this.” Joe’s words seemed to be the catalyst for change, and the creature lunged at them. Its acceleration was far faster than a creature the size of a car should be able to manage, and the group didn't have time to scatter. Joe reflexively dual cast Shadow Spike, and the beast rammed into the spikes at full speed, stopping it from slamming into the humans. A deep rumble sounded, and the beast twisted off the spikes. A clear fluid poured out of the disconcertingly shallow wounds, likely this creature’s blood.
The melee members of the group took advantage of the six-legged creature’s forcible pause, darting in and landing blows that would have ended the fight against creatures they were used to fighting. Sadly, all they managed was to enrage the creature, which reared back on its hind legs and lashed out with the front four. Jaxon dodged one, only to be hit by the slightly-varied angle of the next. The other two fighters took their hits, grunted as they were forced back, and charged in to retaliate.
“Hits like a train!” Poppy called as he slashed twice to the side, leaped back, and activated a skill. “Fuori misura!”
The distance he had created was crossed in a blur, his body darting forward without him taking a step. The move seemed to fully ignore physics. Poppy plunged his rapier into the creature’s shoulder, grabbing and squeezing a ball near his rapier’s pommel. He took another hit and rolled with it, using the momentum to get away. “Joe, need healing! I took a hundred and seventy-four damage each hit!”
“Gah!” Joe washed a Mend at him, then his teammates for good measure. He cast another at the Duelist, wincing as he lost nearly a third of his max
imum mana by using that spell four times. Luckily, his spell efficiency allowed him fifty-five percent off the mana cost, or he’d be half drained already, and combat had just started!
“Did you use that poison I gave you?” Alexis called at Poppy even as twin bolts thudded into the huge creature. She worked to reload as she got an answer.
“Yeah, sorry to say, I used most of it with that attack!” Poppy dodged a swipe that nearly took his head off and returned with a deep stab into the creature’s head. “This is more plant than beast, looks like no brain! Gonna need to hack it to pieces!”
A powerful chop severed a leg, and Bard grunted. “Way ahead o’ yah. He~e~ere we go again, double speed for moves again!”
The melee attackers were suddenly moving at a much faster pace and easily dodged the next few attacks while landing their own far easier. Joe cast Wither at one of the roses on the creature, and after two seconds, the flower fell off the beast. The creature staggered around drunkenly for a moment, then howled and redoubled its ferocious attacks at the group. Joe decided it was time to lead. “Weak spot found! Take out the roses!”
“On it!” Jaxon flipped over a thorn-coated paw, then jammed his finger into the center of a rose. A long spike stabbed out of his glove, and the flower started to bleed like a normal human would. “Seems effective! One… two seconds and the flower died after being stabbed!”
Alexis called, “Creature seems to be moving slower!”
“Can confirm!” Poppy slashed with his rapier, and two flowerheads drifted sadly to the ground.
The Beast snarled and pounced at Alexis, pinning the startled ranged fighter and taking her to the ground. It tore into her, and the others mercilessly assaulted the beast as Alexis screamed in pain. Just as the beast finally died, Alexis did as well, brutally torn open even though they had done all they could to prevent it.
Exp gained: 777 (777 * Rosebeast x1)
Bard pushed the huge mass of rotting vegetation off Alexis and shakily reached down to touch her mangled face. “Tha’s a nasty way ta go.”
“I got this, Bard.” Joe took a deep breath and started circulating mana. He went through the motions and pushed a palm at Alexis. As he cast Resurrection, a portal appeared above her body. Alexis stepped out of it as her corpse melted like snow on a hot day.
“Ugh.” She shook herself as she looked at the mess she had come back to. “That sucked. Also, do you guys have any idea how bad you smell right now? Joe, Cleanse them. I think they are coated in some kind of lure. We won't get fifty feet if they go into the forest smelling like that. It's… pheromones of some kind. Stupid Rosebeast. I died to an angry flower.”
“I’m glad you were able to get clover your death, Alexis. You really rose above it.” Joe grinned as he cast Cleanse on the people that had been in close proximity to the Rosebeast. “You’re so impressive. You grow, girl!”
“I’ll shoot you,” Alexis warned him.
“Sorry, you’re just my best bud, but you’re right, Alexis. Let’s get going. Petal to the metal.” Joe flinched as a bolt bounced off his Exquisite Shell. “Oopsie daisy. Peony for your thoughts?”
“How do you have all these ready?” Alexis narrowed her eyes fractionally. “Did you waste time thinking up puns when we were all getting ready for this?”
“Totally not!” Joe denied, possibly too quickly. He decided to leaf the forest puns alone for now as well. “Shall we continue?”
The group started moving again, keeping an eye on the verdant and deadly area. First angry trees, now murderous shrubbery? There was no telling what would attack them next. They defeated a few small, mutated foxes soon after, but in total, they only gained six hundred experience by the time they were forced to stop for the night. Unlike Joe, the others had standard vision at night, and it was too dangerous to continue.
As Joe lay on his new bedroll, he looked over his stats to see what had changed. To his disgruntlement, his progress had slowed dramatically.
Name: Joe ‘Tatum’s Chosen Legend’ Class: Mage (Actual: Rituarchitect)
Profession: Tenured Scholar (Actual: Arcanologist)
Character Level: 15 Exp: 124,813 Exp to next level: 11,187
Rituarchitect Level: 2 Exp: 2,390 Exp to next level: 610
Hit Points: 250/250
Mana: 937.5/937.5
Mana regen: 27.5/sec (Base 25.01/sec increased by gear)
Stamina: 225/225
Stamina regen: 5.64/sec
Characteristic: Raw score (Modifier)
Strength: 25 (1.25)
Dexterity: 34 (1.34)
Constitution: 30 (1.30)
Intelligence: 75 (2.25)
Wisdom: 69 (2.19)
Charisma: 26 (1.26)
Perception: 54 (2.04)
Luck: 30 (1.30)
Karmic Luck: +6
“That death set me way back,” he muttered almost too quietly for himself to hear. “At least I only lose experience and not stats. Ick. I lost all the progress from clearing the entire salt mine. Stats are looking good though…”
“Joe, I think something is coming,” Bard called in a low tone. Instantly, the group grabbed their weapons and prepared themselves. A silhouette stepped out of the forest slowly and resolved into a huge Wolfman Warrior.
“Peace offered. Conversation requested.”
Jaxon stepped forward and snarled what sounded like a garbled threat. The others tightened their grips on weapons, knowing that this wouldn't end well. To their utter shock, the Wolfman’s ears perked up, and his tail shifted in a soft ‘happy wag’. “Pain power man! Ha! The O’Baba will be pleased! Come, come. You stay here, you die to the spores.”
Jaxon convinced the others to follow, so the Wolfman waited for them to break camp, and the confused humans followed after him into the darkness.
Chapter Twenty-four
The Wolfman Warrior stopped them after an hour of stumbling through the dark. Frankly, Joe had no idea how they had managed not to be attacked by all the things that were going bump in the night—or screeching into the night; that was more common.
“I bring you this far on honor of Pain Power man. Sleep is safe for the night, at the least.” The Warrior was towering over them even though he was badly hunched. “But here… here I need strongest vow from each of you. Swear you will bring no harm to those where I bring you. That you not show this place to anyone, not breathe word.”
“We could never find our way back to here anyway,” Poppy smarmily responded, obviously grumpy after the sudden shift in sleep schedules. There was no reply to his sass, so he reluctantly agreed, “Fine, I won’t tell anyone where your secret base is.”
The others also agreed to protect the secrets of the Wolfmen, so he nodded and walked off again. Another half hour tromping through the lush forest, and they looked up to see the tips of a dozen arrows pointed at them from the trees. Joe grabbed the shadows around them, tossing them into the air. The group was blanketed in a thick, cloying, shadowy mist that even Joe couldn’t see through. “An ambush?”
“Hold! All!” The Warrior then literally barked something at the Wolfmen Scouts that had lost sight of their targets and were starting to panic. The arrows came down, the Warrior growling at a few who still hesitated. “They swore strong vow to do no harm. We pass. The O’Baba waits. Humans, this is just perimeter guard.”
Joe and the others were standing in a defensive posture even as the black mist boiled away. When everyone was calm, the group carefully followed the Warrior into the camp. The foliage was at a density that didn’t allow for much in the way of scouting out the area, but that was probably the intent when living in such a dangerous area. The party winced as a large square of blazing light appeared, but their eyes adjusted quickly and they realized that a door was open in front of them.
Jaxon skipped through, leaving both the humans and Wolfmen slack-jawed as he got to the wizened, old Wolfman crone that was sitting near the fire and swept her up into a hug before poking her all over while snarling at her
. Joe and company got ready to head to respawn but then heard chuffing laughter from the elderly leader. “Hello, friends of Jaxon. I see that you have not been able to housetrain him yet.”
“It’s an ongoing and thankless task,” Joe managed to reply. Something flicked past his ear, nicking his throat and drawing blood. Joe reacted instantly, and a Shadow Spike skewered the… he picked up a fresh-blood stained origami paper crane. “What just…?”
O’Baba gestured and snarled, and a robed form was slapped out of the room by an invisible power. Joe saw what looked like an armful of books go tumbling with whoever that was, then turned back to O’Baba with a questioning look. She sighed and sat down. “Of course he was unable to resist. I am sorry. I allowed you to be attacked by one of mine when you are here as a guest. I will make reparations for the damage caused.”
Joe was going to speak, but Jaxon darted over and put a hand on his mouth. “Don’t insult her debt. Also, they make the best cured ham, if you get to choose the form of repayment.”
“I… Humans are so strange.” O’Baba shook herself. “If I may be so bold, why are you here? You are too weak for this area; your kind should barely be testing the edges of the Mad Forest.”
“Is that what you call it? Interesting,” Joe commented as he tried to find a proper way to phrase his next words. “My people are on the verge of starvation. After the battle, millions more humans arrived. At this rate, many will die. Even more will work to strip the land of all things of use and will eat the trees if it comes down to it. I found an ancient text that listed this area as a place that Elves once lived in, and it said that they had access to nearly unlimited food. We came here to find anything that might help us.”