"We started in High Keep, headed directly into the Rockpine Forest for exploration experience and because we heard the area was once the home of an ancient Rock Leaf Elf civilization. Thought we could find some cool artifacts. But." She sighed. "This area has been a big disappointment. We haven't seen anything except Crag Trolls that are too high level."
"There were some Bullywugs down the way at a pond, but I killed them all," said Terran, hoping to impress them.
Selune waved her hand dismissively. "They're shit for experience."
It was then that Terran realized they were higher level than him. They'd hit level 6 already, which was impressive considering the game had only been live a few days. Curiously, their gear seemed much nicer than what he and his friends had available at the start. Somehow, Terran didn't think that they'd found their shiny armor and weapons off the creatures available at their levels.
"May I join you guys?" asked Terran. "It doesn't have to be forever, but at least until I can get back to a town, or figure out how to return to my friends."
"May I?" snorted Roald. "Are we playing an elementary school game here?"
"Don't be such a dick, Roald," said Selune, shooting a wink at Terran that sent his insides fluttering. "It would be good to have someone who doesn't just grunt, or can only talk about himself."
Roald breathed on his fingernails and rubbed them on his black shirt.
Kratow hadn't said a word. He stared at Terran for an uncomfortably long time, before a party invite message appeared for him to accept.
"Thanks, guys, you won't regret it," he said.
As they continued on the path, Terran asked, "So where are we headed?"
"Back to the Formidite colony," said Selune, who walked beside him. "We had a quest from the queen, but we haven't had any luck with it, so we're just going to kill them all and see what they drop. Should be easier now with a fourth party member." She wrinkled her forehead. "What do you do? Are you an archer?"
The guess confused him until he remembered the bow on his back. "I'm terrible with the bow." He leaned down and scooped a pine cone from the grass. After transforming it with Rock Shards, he threw it downslope at a tree. The stony pine cone exploded, sending up a puff of dust in the aftermath.
He looked back to Selune, expecting her to be impressed, but she only blinked, then took a couple of long strides to catch up to Kratow, leaving him at the back of the party.
Chuckling, Roald filled the spot next to Terran.
"I see the way you're looking at her, but trust me, don't," he whispered. "Beneath that blonde coif is the heart of a viper. She's sweet with you because she'll want something later. It looks like Kratow runs this group, but it's really Selune. The sooner you learn that the longer you'll survive."
"Okay...thanks," said Terran. "What are you doing out all this way?"
Roald ran his tongue over his canines before glancing at the other two. When he spoke, he lowered his voice. "Only newbs stay in the safe areas around the city. If you want to be a player for the kingdom, you gotta take chances. We heard there are powerful artifacts hidden in the forests, and our Selune wants to be Queen of the World, so…"
"Got it," said Terran, trying to imagine what kind of kingdom Selune would run if she were in charge. Though he'd only just met her, the thought gave him shivers.
"What about you? Is that what you and your friends were trying to do before you got split up?" asked Roald.
"No," said Terran. "We're just looking to have a good time, enjoy our adventures, maybe eventually start a settlement, that sort of thing. Mostly it was about us being together."
Roald made a noise in the back of his throat like he didn't buy that reasoning.
"Sure thing," he said before hurrying forward to hang right behind the other two.
The warning about the group chemistry worried Terran that he'd made a mistake in joining them. With his friends, he'd never had concerns about who was running the party. They made decisions as a group, discussed their options, and, in the rare times when it was necessary, brought them to a vote.
As they wandered through the forest Terran had the sense that they were being followed. He almost said something until he realized it might be Luna, but he could never actually spy her to confirm it.
He collected pine cones as he found them, since he'd need a steady supply of bomb material if he was going to be an effective member of the group. He kept two in his pockets and put the rest in his backpack.
When it seemed like they were meandering at random, Terran asked, "So where is this Formidite colony?"
Kratow shot him a glare, but Selune placed a calming hand on his shoulder. "We seemed to have misplaced it. Do you by chance know its location? It's near the Crag Troll cave."
Terran had always had a pretty good sense of direction, and he'd been checking his map as they walked, so he knew instantly where to point. "Back over the hill, down past the Bullywug pond."
With a grunt, Kratow pulled out his claymore and chopped a small tree in half, before storming off in the direction Terran had indicated. As he stared after the big man, Selune gave Terran a big grin that he could only take as a warning.
"What have I gotten myself into?" he muttered to himself.
If he hadn't been alone in a dangerous forest, he wouldn't have picked to group with them, but survival required sacrifices.
As he glanced over his shoulder again, sensing movement, Roald asked, "What do you keep seeing? You keep looking around."
"Nothing," said Terran, and when Roald pursed his lips, he added, "Mostly keeping an eye out for that Spirit Bear that roams around this area. It had a skull for an icon when I analyzed it."
Roald's head jerked as he looked around, clearly expecting the Spirit Bear to be lurking nearby. He squinted at Terran.
"You keep lookout, scout-boy," said Roald.
After another half hour of hiking, they crested a hill and saw the Crag Troll cave below them. The stench of rotting flesh wafted from its wide entrance. Even from a distance, Terran could see the old bones scattered amongst the rocks. There were no trees around the cave, and the place gave Terran the shivers.
Kratow stared at the cave, his hands twitching as if he was contemplating charging the place, until Selune placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Not yet," she said. "We need to level up first, but when we do, we're recovering whatever Rock Leaf artifacts remain in there."
That she would have such knowledge at this early stage of the game seemed impossible. His concern was confirmed when Roald glanced at him sheepishly, as if he felt guilty about the illicit knowledge.
The Formidite colony was not far from the Crag Troll cave. They climbed the next hill and at the top was a mound of dirt the size of a large tavern. Multiple entrances at the base of the mound led into the darkness.
"Enough walking," said Kratow, pulling his claymore free and marching towards the mound as two creatures that looked like centaur-ants ambled from the depths, antennae twitching.
Chapter Six
An icon with a white shield appeared at the top right of Terran's vision as soon as Selune cast a spell. Upon inspection he saw that it was the healer buff Bless, which provided a little extra armor for each party member. As soon as the spell landed, Kratow charged into battle, swinging his claymore in a large arc that hit both Formidite soldiers guarding the entrance.
Roald ran to the base of the nearest tree, then suddenly appeared in the shadows behind one of the soldiers. Half of the enemy's health disappeared when he thrust his dagger into its back. A flash of white light burst from Selune's fingertips and blasted the same soldier for another ten percent health just as Kratow's giant sword crashed down on the creature's head, severing its neck. The body was still twitching as the party focused its attention on the remaining Formidite and killed it just as quickly. Terran stood frozen with a pine cone in each hand, forgetting that he was part of the group. The battle was finished before he even registered that it had begun.
&nb
sp; "Are you just planning to stand there with your mouth open during every fight?" Kratow grunted at him. "You're more worthless than you look!"
Roald shot Terran a disgusted look as he bent down to loot the bodies. The Formidite corpses disappeared as soon as he stood up empty-handed.
"Nothing of value," he informed the group.
"Next time maybe you could at least throw one of those stupid pine cones towards an enemy," Selune hissed at Terran.
"I didn't know we were just attacking," Terran stammered in defense.
Roald rolled his eyes as he slunk into the shadows at the mouth of the entrance and disappeared further inside. After a few minutes he reappeared next to Kratow.
"Two more patrols before it opens up into a small room with a hallway leading further in. Four soldiers total. Same level as these two were," he informed the group.
"This time you fight or we drop you from the group," Kratow admonished as he stepped into the Formidite lair.
Terran readied his pine cones with Rock Shard as he followed after the brute. This time he managed to toss a few pine cones at the enemies before they died, which seemed to appease the other party members despite having done little actual damage.
"How far in should we go before cutting off any respawn?" Selune asked Kratow as they stood in the middle of the room.
"Let's go a bit further since it's a ten-minute respawn. If I remember right, the queen is quite a bit further and there were a lot of spawn points before then," he responded.
As the two made their decision, Terran looked around the barren room. In one corner there was a mound of dirt that appeared to be where some Formidites slept, and in the other corner he thought he caught a slight movement, but when he turned his head to look there was nothing but the dirt wall.
"Seeing something, lookout boy?" Roald glowered.
"Nothing but dirt," Terran said.
The group continued making their way through the Formidites' lair, easily killing everything in their path. Terran was beginning to run low on pine cones when Selune stopped the group in the middle of a large cavern. The ceiling was at least fifty feet high, and a ledge ran around the room about twenty feet from the floor. A soft green glow emitted from a fungus that grew along the walls, casting a dim light throughout the cavern.
"Let's lay the trap back at the entrance to this cavern. We're almost to the queen's lair," Selune said to Roald.
Roald nodded, headed back to the cavern entrance, and began casting a spell. When he was done, a red glow twenty feet wide stretched the width of the hallway leading up to the cavern. Terran inspected the floor in wonder.
Sticky Trap - Unique Spell
Duration: 8 hours
Non-allies entering this space will be unable to move.
Terran's knees weakened and he felt a little dizzy thinking back to when he'd met Luna. Roald must have set that trap too since it was a unique spell, but maybe it was an accident that Luna had fallen victim. Shivers ran down Terran's body as he watched Roald saunter back to the group.
"Now for the queen," Kratow growled, making his way to the far side of the cavern.
A warm glow was cast down the tunnel from the room beyond, and scurrying could be heard echoing up towards the group. Kratow turned just before entering the room and spoke to the group in a low voice.
"She is expecting us to have the item she requested. Let's just play along until she reveals where our reward is," he said.
The others nodded before everyone stepped into the room. Terran stood in awe at everything around him. The room was several stories high and the walls were terraced with walkways. Each walkway had at least a dozen archways with passages leading to other places in the dirt mound. Low-level worker Formidites skittered throughout the room, rushing to complete their tasks. Towards the far side of the central hub sat a Formidite three times the size of the others. She beckoned the group towards her as soon as they entered the cavern.
"Ahh. I have been wait-t-t-t-ing for you," said the queen.
The queen sat perched on a pile of carefully placed moss atop a dirt mound. Her giant eyes were like black mirrors reflecting their surroundings. A green ooze slowly dripped from her giant mandibles, and her teeth chattered as she sat restlessly. The red coloring that appeared around her name when he used his analyze ability told Terran he was no match for the queen alone, but perhaps with the group they could defeat her.
"My ch-ch-ch-children told me you were approaching. How wonderful that you brought me the gift I asked for," she continued.
Selune raised an eyebrow towards Kratow, then quickly caught herself and curtsied to the queen.
"Yes, Your Majesty. We come with a gift," said Selune with a bow of the head.
"I am shocked that you did not cage nor t-t-t-tether the animal. How did you manage to convince it to come willingly to its death?" asked the queen.
Terran was beginning to catch on. He opened his quest log to see if there was an entry he had not noticed.
Give the Queen Her Due (group)
Bring the Formidite Queen the last living Rock Leaf Lynx.
Reward: a legendary item
The quest must have been automatically shared with Terran when he joined the group. He felt a small sense of relief knowing he hadn't told them anything about Luna, but he was confused by the queen's words. The group had not brought the lynx, and he didn't think she would be that easily deceived. Luna must have followed them inside. That would explain why he kept feeling like something was watching him. Terran looked around to see if he could spy the Rock Leaf Lynx.
"No matter," the queen continued. "I shall have my workers execute the beast. Bring forth their reward."
Several Formidite workers scurried out of the cavern presumably to retrieve the group's bounty. Heat flushed Terran's entire body as he tried to control the rage that filled him. These people were willing to wipe out an entire species in exchange for loot. He was outraged at the thought. How could anyone want to kill such a graceful, amazing animal? He would rather die fighting to save Luna's life than let that happen.
Would you like to make the lynx your companion? [Y/N]
The message flashed across Terran's view and he quickly blinked his acceptance.
The bond will take twenty-four hours to form. After the bond is completely formed, any death will result in respawn for your companion.
Immediately upon acceptance, a health bar for Luna appeared just below his own, and her gray form became visible on a walkway just above them. Kratow's head snapped towards Terran as he noticed the addition to the group.
Luna's voice filled his head. "It seems we are destined to be together. Well, if I can survive the next twenty-four hours that is."
"We'll find a way somehow," he said telepathically.
"What are you going to do with the lynx?" Terran asked the queen while looking around for some kind of idea.
"Skin it and eat it of course. The hide makes a wonderful lining for my nest, and if consumed, the meat provides strength and stealth to my babies," she replied.
Terran's face flushed. He clenched his fists and realized he was still holding the last two pine cones. There was no way he was going to let them sacrifice Luna for the reward. He had to stop the quest, and he had to stop it now. Terran hurled a pine cone directly at the queen's head. Shards of stone shattered all around her as a sliver of her health disappeared and she immediately aggroed on the group.
Your quest "Give the Queen Her Due" has failed.
"What the hell? You dumbass!" Kratow roared.
The cavern erupted in chaos as the group's health bars disappeared from Terran's view.
You have been removed from the group.
Terran threw his final pine cone at a Formidite worker that was heading straight for him, while the other three took on the queen. There was still a sliver of health left on the worker when it reached him, and Terran finished it off by stabbing it in the gut with his rusty dagger. As the lifeless body fell to the floor, he quickly
backed up, putting his back against the wall. Luna leapt from her ledge and bounded across the cavern to arrive next to Terran.
She looked up at him with rounded eyes. "Thanks."
The sound of a huge explosion brought Terran's attention back to the queen. Roald was brandishing a wand, and a large group of Formidite workers now lay charred in the dirt. Terran's eyes watered from the smoke and sulfur smell that followed. He watched in shock as Kratow swung his claymore in a large arc, cutting a gash across the queen's belly. A green slime-like substance spewed out of the devastating wound as the queen took her final breath.
"We have to get out of here now, before the rest of the colony is alerted and we have to deal with respawn," Selune shouted, gesturing back towards the entrance.
Roald bent down to loot the queen's corpse as the other two ran towards the tunnel they had entered from. Terran tried to back into a cubby to avoid his former mates, but Selune spied him. The corner of her lip twitched with mirth as her fingers waggled into complex forms. She threw her hands forward, and a bright light encompassed Terran. He found himself unable to move as a Hold Person icon appeared in his vision.
"Good luck surviving this," said Selune, extending her middle finger before hurrying from the room with her companions, leaving Terran frozen to his spot.
Chapter Seven
The cavern was filled with the smell of sulfur and death. The only movements were a few twitching limbs and wispy tendrils of smoke swirling towards the ceiling and out the upper archways. The queen's body had disappeared as soon as Roald finished collecting whatever loot she had, but the floor was littered with the charred remains of dozens of worker Formidites.
Terran struggled to wipe his eyes, which were watering from the burning haze, but his limbs were completely frozen. Tears streamed down his face and his nose itched as he took a deep breath and surveyed the room by shifting his eyes from side to side. Although the cavern was still, he heard sounds erupting from many of the tunnels that led off the room. If he was frozen much longer, he would be overrun by thousands of the Formidites. He had no ammo and no party to help, but he had to somehow get Luna out alive.
The Stone Tree: A LitRPG Adventure (Kingmaker Saga Book 1) Page 4