Chimera King Box Set Books 1-3

by Atlas Kane

  A second light came from behind and he heard Minda’s voice. “Cade? Were you fighting something?”

  Cade grimaced, not wanting to say it out loud. But as she came closer, inspecting his wounds that were just now beginning to bleed in earnest—the cuts so deep and clean—he had to tell her the truth. “Frogs, Minda. Damn frogs got me. Look, I killed a few of them at least,” he finished, gesturing toward the flattened goo of the frog he’d hit with the hammer.

  “Let’s stick together from now on. Wouldn’t want you to run off and get eaten by any other amphibians.” The sarcasm in her voice was checked only by the look of concern as she took in the gashes on his back as well. “Wow, so all kidding aside, those creatures are capable of causing a lot of damage. Here, chew on this. It will help speed up your natural health regeneration. We can keep exploring as soon as you stop dripping everywhere.”

  Minda handed him an herb, Bright Eye Berry Leaf he saw as he inspected the few leaves she pressed into his palm. They tasted like mint at first, but a pungent odor escaped when he chewed them, making him gag a bit.

  Encouraging the herb down his hatch with water helped, yet even after five minutes had passed, he could still taste its funk.

  Though his wounds were not completely healed, he noted that they’d at least stopped bleeding. Like eating ass at Burning Man, I suppose. What’s not to like?

  Cade looted the group of fallen frogs and received a few notable items.

  8 Riveting Frog Legs

  6 Razor Frog Spines

  7 Quality Razor Frog Eyeballs

  No reason to leave behind quality eyeballs! Cade mused as he stored the items in his Inventory. The spines though. It will be nice to see if we can make use of those.

  They continued onward, deeper into the cave, but wary to look out for slimy hoppers. The next cavern had a series of the small pools, and Cade was shitting bricks. There had to be more of the Razor Frogs, but surprisingly, none jumped out. At the far end of the chamber, one larger pool did offer something else, however. A series of long, white shapes swam around languidly. After he’d worked up the courage to reach in and snatch them out, he noted they were a species of eel.

  Phorus Eel

  Level 1

  Predator Fauna

  The name gave him pause, but he wasn’t bitten or attacked in any way as he began harvesting the creatures. Plucking the eel from the water, one at a time and storing them in his Inventory, his brain wanted to argue their value. It felt like filling a basket with slimy dicks. But remembering the unagi sushi he’d had so many times, he shut up and worked. If they roasted the bastards, the eel would most likely taste amazing.

  The cave system meandered back and forth, but thankfully, offered no other side passages. There was little danger of Cade and Minda becoming lost. The following rooms offered little else but another ingredient Minda picked up on with her Herbalism skill. An Iridescent Cave Algae grew on a few of the walls, not luminescent but highly reflective. What it was useful for, he could only know after he extracted the reagent from it. Inspecting the algae, he saw that only his Steep skill from his Apothecary Occupation would work on it.

  They needed to find a way to make some kind of watertight container. A leather waterskin might work to Steep herbs in, but his final basic skill, Distill, would require something made of glass, stone, clay, or metal. He didn’t think there was any leather that could handle being boiled over a fire without burning through.

  At last, Minda found the Rinan Roots, the ingredient Cade needed for his first Alchemical recipe. They were thin, white roots that grew out of a strange plant with only three leaves atop each. The only way the plant seemed to survive was by the glow of the cave mushrooms it clustered near. No other light source was available down here.

  “Should we go then?” Minda asked, having already gathered more specimens than she’d hoped for.

  Cade knew caution would dictate a safe retreat, only having to worry about the frogs when they exited the cave. But staring ahead, he couldn’t help but wonder what was next. Surely, this cave offered something more valuable. Perhaps there was an old set of enchanted armor, left by a traveler centuries ago. Or there might be more herbs or fungus, some that would grant greater boons than the ones they’d gathered. He just knew he wanted to find out.

  “How about a few more caverns. We can turn around after three more, I promise.”

  Minda squinted at him, her eyes reflecting orange in the light of the Bright Moss. Slowly, she nodded, telling him exactly how she felt by her sheer lack of enthusiasm.

  The next chamber was small and all but bare. Cade cursed to himself. Why did I say three? I should have told her we’d keep going for another hour. Surely, we haven’t been in here that long. But his worries proved fruitless. The following chamber was vast, the largest by far, and even at a glance, he could tell that this was what they’d come for.

  On every wall, more fungus, roots, and ingredients grew in plenty, the abundant life teeming around a huge pool bigger than the one at their campsite. It was glowing an eerie blue, lighting the cavern bright enough that for the first time, the two extinguished their moss and stowed it back in their Inventory.

  Cade smiled, glancing back at Minda. “This one is it then. Let’s just take a look around, take what we can, and leave after. Keep on the lookout for those frogs though.”

  Despite her previous reluctance, Minda smiled, then made her way over to the nearest group of plants and mushrooms, humming with joy. Cade took his time examining the large chamber. From what he could see, there wasn’t a single creature in here, and that made him nervous. Why wouldn’t there be animals of any kind in a place as lush and overgrown as this place was?

  He eyed the pool, wary it might be filled with more of the Razor Frogs, and kept his distance until he had Minda at his side. They could inspect the pool before they left.

  At the far end of the room, however, Cade noticed something familiar. He squinted his eyes, trying to make out the shape through the hazy light. And as he approached, he saw the curve of exposed ribs. Flying witch monkeys! Those are human! Cade realized, and closed the distance, seeing no movement of any kind near the skeleton. It sat in a heap, moss and moldering plants growing over the top of most of it. Only a few ribs jutted out, which had caught his eye.

  “Minda, come here,” Cade whispered. For some reason, speaking aloud felt wrong over the dead thing. And the room was filled with a silent tension.

  She ambled over and hissed softly when she saw what he was pointing at. Then she smiled again. “Wow, another herb, this one is called Bone Moss. Huh. It says it’s a reagent that can be used by an Alchemist.” Rather than treat the fallen with any amount of respect, Minda scraped off as much of the moss as she could, revealing a good deal more of its body.

  It was then that Cade noticed the red of rotten metal, the remnants of an iron breastplate rusted away. He helped Minda uncover the rest of the skeleton, curious to see if anything had survived. No magical and gleaming set of armor was here, but he wasn’t about to discount the rest.

  Crumbling iron-shod boots fell away from bony feet the moment he touched them. A helmet atop a skull buried in moss held its shape but was too rusted to be of use. They were about to leave the poor creature when Cade noticed a uniform dome near the skeleton’s arm. He peeled away the creeping moss and gasped. The muted silver of a soul weapon stared back at them. Yet it wasn’t a true weapon. It looked more like a small buckler, a hand and a half wide and domed. It was strapped around the skeleton’s forearm. After a few minutes of respectful jostling, Minda and Cade managed to pull the item free and inspect it more closely.

  Buckler of the Forest Warden Level 4

  Secondary Weapon System - Buckler

  Damage Reflection - 50% of all Damage Intercepted

  Damage Type - N/A - Defensive

  Attack Speed - N/A - Function Affected by Dexterity

  Mods: Restoration of the Grove, Canopy of Occlusion, Shroom Shield

 
; “By every unholy slot machine in a town ten miles from Vegas! We’ve hit the jackpot, girl!” Cade said, sweeping soil from the buckler and affixing it over his left arm.

  Minda stared at him, shaking her head. “What the hell are you talking about? You use language like a drunkard.”

  Cade shrugged, still staring at his new toy. “It says Secondary Weapon System. I think that poor bastard must have lost the other piece to this set. Maybe a spear or sword, who knows, but the buckler functions on its own.”

  Minda replied in a solemn voice, little more than a whisper. “Yes, Cade. Yes, we are lucky. Now let’s bury this poor soul and leave. I have enough, and we can always come back.”

  “Sure, yeah, no problem. Let me look at what these skills do though. This buckler is badass.” Then while Minda fussed with the reburial, Cade brought up the three skills the small shield offered.

  Restoration of the Grove: Calling upon the vitality of the ancient grove, a wave of healing energy restores a moderate amount of health to any allied party member within five yards. All minor wounds are healed, and moderate wounds are nullified. Bleeding effects, if not fatal, are nullified. Minor poison and disease effects are nullified. Moderate poison and disease effects remain undiminished. Fatal wounds remain unaffected. 24-hour Cooldown.

  Canopy of Occlusion: With the obscuring effects of a triple canopy, a shield of light is produced that allows a party to walk unseen through any environment. Full daylight or complete lack of cover nullifies the effect. 10-minute Duration. 2-hour Cooldown.

  Shroom Shield: By channeling the endurance of fungal growths, a ten-foot-wide, domed mana shield grows out from the buckler. All incoming damage is reduced by 80%. 15-second Duration. 5-minute Cooldown.

  “Holy shit, Minda. We don’t have to worry about those ugly apes,” Cade said, and she only grunted her response. Shaking off the excitement of his new find, he noticed the woman was agitated. “What is it?”

  “You have the sense of a nose-blind mole. Something is wrong in here, Cade. Let us go.”

  The woman tugged at his arm, and he turned to follow. He gestured toward the pool, hesitating. “But we haven’t checked in there yet. Shouldn’t we?”

  Minda shook her head and pulled him forward stubbornly. As skilled as she was in detecting danger, Cade didn’t feel like arguing. So he walked behind her. Stopping only once more, Cade eyed the pool, and noticed its surface was not as still as he’d thought. Is that a wave? he thought before a shape exploded from the pool.

  At first, Cade thought it was a tentacle, thicker than he was at the chest, and lashing out toward him. But then he saw a mouth open, two pale eyes shimmering. Cade activated Wyrm’s Wrath, and with increased speed, shoved Minda out of the way and rolled to the ground. A cascade of water poured out over the floor, and then a loud popping filled the air. His body thoroughly soaked, the electric charge that flooded his body made Cade shudder, pain lancing through his limbs.

  The attack lasted only a second, but the increased damage of his skill had only amplified the effect. Cade fell to the ground, almost unconscious. He fell to his side and beheld a terrible creature that looked like a humongous version of a moray eel.

  Phorus Eel

  Level 8

  Predator Fauna

  That’s why those little buggers were listed as predators. This is what they grow up to become, Cade thought distantly, and braced himself for the next attack. He saw the eel strike out again and lacked the strength to move. His body was almost completely paralyzed by the electric blast. The eel’s teeth were as long as Minda’s dagger, and he knew his new life was nearly over.

  Then the beastkin woman leapt over his body, her staff blazing with green energy. A raging wind storm exploded from her soul weapon, leaves of mana rocketing forward and slicing into the beast’s face. It shrieked in pain and focused its attention on her.

  Striking out to bite its new foe, the eel only missed Minda by inches. She cast her entangling roots, pinning it to the cave floor. A single buck of the beast’s enormous body tore them free, however, and it attacked a second time. Minda barely avoided death once more by swatting the eel in the face with her staff. She retreated, eyes glinting with ferocity.

  The woman was a sight to see, but Cade knew she wouldn’t last long. Most of her soul weapon’s abilities gave her mastery over plant life. Other than the blast of wind and leaves, they were not offensive.

  Finally, Cade’s mind began to function once more. His nose and ears were bleeding, and he didn’t have the strength to stand let alone fight. But he could access his skills. Cade triggered Restoration of the Grove. A cascade of life poured through his veins, and Cade gasped. He heard Minda have the same reaction as well, though she hadn’t been injured.

  The pervasive damage the electrification inflicted on Cade’s body healed. He stood, his legs shaky at first, but growing stronger by the second.

  He rejoined the battle with a Double Tap. Two mana bullets rocketed from the end of his staff, sinking into the wet flesh of the eel’s neck. They didn’t have much of an effect, but the beast swiveled his way, aware of the new threat. He’d prevented Minda from being targeted at least. Now he just had to figure out how to kill this monster.

  Bright red blood dripped from its wounds, and the creature hissed. Then it grew still, the crackling of a second wave of electricity dancing over its skin.

  “Get back!” Cade screamed, and retreated just in time to remove himself from the wet ground. Tendrils of smoke rose from the fried plants, making a cloud of noxious fumes. He coughed, trying to search for his companion in the haze. Her white form moved toward the eel, confirming she too had avoided the blast.

  That would have been enough to end us, he thought. No way would we have survived.

  Cade stepped forward, intent on wounding the piece of shit if he could. He used Alpha’s Call, boosting their power, then when the eel leapt out once more, its speed blinding, he used Shroom Shield and attacked with Culling the Pack. The eel plunged through the still-expanding mana shield, its teeth tearing into Cade’s thigh. At the same time, his axe sunk into the side of its head, the sickly green of the wounding effect taking hold. Cade grunted as he felt the teeth grate through his flesh, but the attack was severely blunted. The long teeth only sunk in just past the skin, the shield’s effect removing most of the damage.

  The eel retreated, this time slowed significantly. Yet it did not disappear into the pool. Cade knew another electric charge would be ready soon. They had to finish this fast.

  Minda danced forward, drawing another attack, and for a moment, Cade feared she was trying to sink her dagger in the beast’s hide. Instead, she danced away. Then she cast a spell through her staff, aiming it at two large mushrooms on the cave floor. They began to grow rapidly, pressing together over the middle of the eel’s body, not enough to crush or harm the beast, but suddenly, the eel found its movement restricted. Minda cast her root spell after, reinforcing the hold, then glanced to Cade.

  He didn’t need to be told. This was his window. Cade ran forward, his blast staff recharged enough to allow him a Slug Shot. The bullet crashed into the eel’s head, dazing it. The additional slowing effect made the eel’s once-rapid movements predictable and easy to follow. That combined with its limited movement made the rest of the fight simple.

  Without further aid of skill or pretense of glory, Cade hacked into the eel’s neck. He struck again and again, finally feeling the nick of the beast’s spine against the blade of his axe. Once more he swung out, his weapon cracking through the spine.

  The huge monster went still, its body crashing to the cave floor.

  Waves splashed in the pool, tossing in spent fury. Cade panted and looked over to see a pissed-off but grateful Minda.

  She didn’t need to tell him she’d been right, and she was sweet enough not to do so out of spite. Instead, she helped him loot the beast. Though they still had to return to camp, their bodies a bit worse for wear, Cade felt the trip and the final battle h
ad been worthwhile. If not for the experience that brought him almost all the way to the next level, then for the single strange item of loot the eel had dropped.

  25

  Of Meat and Mushrooms

  The way back from the cave was a breeze. No insane primate battle for dominance, no stalking abyss cats. Cade and Minda strolled along through the jungle at a slow pace. Fatigue, caution, and lingering wounds on Cade’s part made the pace necessary. And when they approached the Earthen Apes posted in their sprawling trees, Cade activated his Canopy of Occlusion skill.

  It was a marvel to see. The buckler pulsed out light, emitting enough heat to make Cade worry he would be injured, but it soon cooled, the beam of light spreading out and fanning around them in an array of projected foliage. What was most uncanny was seeing how the plants, the vines and ferns around them, were all immaculately matched so that when they walked along, it appeared that no light was shining at all. When Minda walked out of the projected field, however, she gasped.

  “It’s like you aren’t there at all. Not in shadow or well-hidden but completely gone!”

  When they passed the apes, they did so in a hurry despite the shield still blocking them from view. Again, the canny beasts seemed to sense them, but unlike before, they had even more trouble finding them. No probing seed pods landed near them, which made Cade feel that much better. He had no clue if the illusion would hold up if something struck it.