by Atlas Kane
At the sound of the fallen god’s name, Gemma fell into a crouch and hissed, her fangs protruding an inch and her skin burning with heat.
Vormer’s eyes widened in surprise. “Neemashi!” he growled, standing up, the scales on the top of his head and bare arms lifting in agitation. “How is it possible?”
Gemma allowed her flame to burn brighter. If she was forced to shift, she would do so instantly.
Her clothes began to smolder, and she dropped her bow. The soul weapon had been customized. Before it hit the ground, it vanished, its image sinking into the skin of her back. No lion could use such a weapon. And why would I need to with claws at my disposal?
In a flash, the man pulled free his swords. A growl emanated from his throat.
“You will extinguish yourself, witch! You may not use the Flame of Aten against one of his followers. It is forbidden!”
Taking a step back, Gemma felt the presence of a guard step behind her. The time for words was at an end. This man would not compromise and would never see reason.
“Aten stole his flame for another. He is a pretender, as are his priests!”
“Hold her!” Vormer shouted, advancing with blades held ready.
A guard grasped her elbow, and Gemma unleashed her ether. Her skin ignited in the purest flame, not of Aten, but of the true god whose name is unknowable. Gemma fell forward, her body changing in a heartbeat, and the guard’s hand was consumed in flame.
She leapt to the side, avoiding a spear thrust from another guard. Gemma raked the guard’s leg with her claws, and they fell in a heap, her fire scorching through the armor easily.
Gemma heard Vormer curse, calling her witch and sorceress, flame whore. But already the city was a blur around her, the foul beings who had sought to tame her too slow to keep up.
Ahead, she saw the end of this city of gold.
A field of green and, beyond, more green covered the mountains of this Antinium.
She’d only ever seen the color when certain minerals burned. What this endless sea of green meant, Gemma could not say. But she sprinted faster than ever, seeing a clear line of escape.
Before her paws touched grass for the first time, a voice like lightning and outrage called behind her. “I’ll find you, Gemma! And when I hold your fire in my hand, I will be unstoppable!”
1
Pussycat Recon
The path that coursed up and around the cliff face was not at all built by human hands. Some geological fluke had made it, perhaps, but it was not at all easy to climb.
The first few hundred feet were steep but clear of debris, so Cade and Minda had made good time. Yet the last half became broken and difficult to traverse.
They’d left the safety and comfort of Camp Casmeer over two hours ago, and they were only now nearing the top of the cliff. A few glimpses stolen from the right angle told Cade that lush forest grew on the bluff above them. What creatures roamed there was all but a mystery to them, even though this was their second trip.
That was the point of this journey. Having explored the small forest that grew in their glade, and defeated the shadow creature who’d inhabited the Town Interface, Cade wanted to be certain no other major threats were looming directly above them. The chances of something crawling down the face of the cliff were minimal, but if he and Minda could scale this path, something else could too.
Remembering the Town Interface, Cade wondered when they would be able to take Tanrial back. Even sneaking in to steal a bunch of Mana Shards might be too difficult.
Shaking his head, he forced himself to focus on his current mission. Multi-tasking was the best way to screw up whatever you’re doing.
They made their first trip yesterday and spent only a few short hours patrolling the forest. Little had been found other than a few dense stands of bamboo and a group of Cobalt Plantain trees, enough to feed them for a week. Minda wanted to be cautious, and Cade agreed, so they harvested as many of the plantains as possible, then crept back down well before the sun would expire.
Getting caught on this dangerous incline after dark would all but spell death. Even now, he was forced to ignore the sprawling jungle scenery below, the endlessly spilling waterfalls he could spot a dozen or so miles away, the cresting mountains to either side.
This world, the world of Antinium, was so beautiful and amazing it looked like a dream. Yet Cade knew the consequences of injury were real enough. Fighting pumas, massive and powerful apes, and a damn drakeling was enough to convince him so.
So it wasn’t the scenery that occasionally caused him to lose focus. Not of the jungle at least, nor the distant spires of the golden city of Tanrial beyond. No, it was Minda.
She was a beastkin from another world, resurrected here after her death, just like him. And as she leapt over dizzying chasms that opened up in the path or scaled jagged ledges of rock with the strength of her fingers and arms alone, he couldn’t help but fall for her over and over again.
The woman was all kinds of talented, not only athletically, but the way she moved over and under him when they had sex was enough to inspire a second Kama Sutra.
Minda was crouching, preparing to spring up to catch hold of another such ledge. Cade held her by her ribs and launched her up as she jumped. With their combined energy, the woman flew up and caught the lip of stone even though it must have loomed over twelve feet above their heads.
Her body contracted and pulled up and over the ledge, but not before he saw plenty of her legs and ass, and that most perfect place where the two join.
If this were Earth, and Cade was describing the woman to a group of friends, he’d tell them she was a spinner. The woman was short, only a couple or so inches above five feet, and her breasts were small. Yet her legs were thick with muscle, and every inch of her body was sprung like a bear trap. And all over her pale skin, a thin layer of white fur shimmered.
At first, Cade had thought her fur, her pointed, almost-feline teeth, and her slanted, conical ears were strange. Now he was used to the way she looked, and he found her downright sexy. Who the am I to judge anyhow? he thought. After all, I’m the bald-faced monkey to her.
He shook his head, dismissing the image of the underside of her ass and the shadowed flicker of her sex he’d been so fortunate to see, and prepared for his own ascent.
Her head emerged, staring down at him, and she tossed down the length of sturdy cordage they’d brought at Satemi’s request. He caught hold of it, blessing the tall woman for her crafty hands as well as her heavenly body—Athena herself would be jealous of her hips—and started to climb up. It wasn’t a far climb, not compared to another such ledge a hundred feet down. That one took almost thirty minutes for them to carefully traverse. But each moment they struggled, Cade was aware that if he slipped, he might easily fall back to the path below and tumble out into the yawning abyss above their gentle glade.
Falling to his doom amid the placid fields they’d come to call home was not something he wished to do. Imagining Satemi and Ketzal’s reactions, their faces drawn with horror as they examined his shattered corpse, wasn’t helping him climb. Focus, Cade! What is with your thoughts today?
He shot a hand up and gripped a protruding stone, preparing to haul himself up. His new body was stacked in this world. Where once flab and old scar tissue had taken over, Cade now had rippling abs and striated muscle.
With such strength, the climb should have been easy. But what he was not expecting was for the stone he gripped to shift and then fall away.
It tumbled back and flew from his grip, tumbling end over end into the whispering expanse over the cliff’s edge. Cade twisted, his full body weight swinging on the cord. He gripped it with all his might, praying that Minda had somehow anchored it well enough.
“Cade!” she called, fear heavy in her voice.
He clung to the handmade rope, thankful Minda had blessed it with her magic. She had the power to influence and enhance plant life. It was not only her Occupation but her combat Class.
The rope held, Cade’s grip held, and he managed not to pass out even when he was stupid enough to look back into the yawning emptiness below.
Cade closed his eyes and grabbed the rope with his other hand. Then he pulled himself up once more, finding a more secure handhold. Soon he was on his side, facing Minda, and panting with fear as much as effort.
“I know. I know,” he whispered. He could see all of her reproach written plainly in her golden-amber eyes. Such beauty and concern were hard to define when condensed in such a way. It was like staring at an emerald that cared about you. “I’m sorry. I just want to finish the climb. Should have tested that stone first. I won’t make that mistake again, I promise.”
She smiled, knowing his words were sincere. Then, quick as the cutest snake in the world, she darted forward and kissed his lips. It wasn’t a passionate thing, just enough to let him know how she felt. As brief as it was, Cade felt his heart quicken a pace. Like slapping a race horse on the ass and then expecting it not to startle, the woman stood up and resumed the march.
Grumbling in feigned frustration, Cade did the same. He spared but a glance for the ledge, shaking a mental fist at it. In a world full of beasts and babes, and I almost let myself get killed by a stone? Focus, man. Focus.
The rest of their journey up the cliff was easy. Little more than hiking up another steep slope and then shimmying over a final lip of crumbling rock. Then they were standing atop the bluff, jungle at their back, and helplessly staring at the beauty of Antinium. “My world had jungle like this, but not when I was alive. We killed it all with the endless hunger of industry and war,” Minda said.
“I wish I could say things were different on Earth. We still had a few pockets left, but even those were being slowly consumed,” Cade responded, his arm wrapped around Minda’s shoulder. They surveyed the scenery at length. It felt somehow required even though they’d seen the view once already the day before. The waterfalls were most striking as the sun caught the endless rising mist and made them seem trapped beneath a sheet of crystal.
Sighing, Cade gave her a squeeze. “Let’s get moving again, yeah? I’d like to find our target with enough time to also set up a campsite. Daylight won’t last forever.”
Minda nodded and turned back to the forest. This close to the cliff edge, only bamboo grew. Thickets of shoots grew so dense that they were forced to find game trails. Thankfully, Minda was a natural at such tasks.
So after a minute of creeping, the beastkin woman dove into a barely discernible opening in the cane break, and Cade followed after.
After a half hour of traveling hunched over and stepping carefully, Cade was starting to feel exhausted. Thankfully, the bamboo broke away to the ferns and soft-fleshed plants of moist jungle. Their progress sped up a bit, but still they moved with caution. All around them, the snap and whir of unseen life filled the air with a constant chatter. Huge beetles flew overhead the size of Cade’s fist. One even came close enough for him to swat from the air with his axe. He stooped down to examine the beetle’s body.
Geode Beetle
Level 1
Producer Fauna, Alchemical Reagent
“Producer Fauna? What the hell does that mean?” Cade muttered to himself, picking up the thick-bodied insect. It weighed too much for something that flew so gracefully. Since it was a reagent, he stored it in his spatial Inventory, and watched as the glittering bug disappeared from his hand.
Minda answered his question from over her shoulder. “Producers are what grow without eating other creatures. I think it might eat rock or some other mineral. Most plants are producers as well. Crazy to see an insect though.”
Looking the woman in the eyes, her brain buzzing with activity, Cade couldn’t help himself. He gave her a gentle shove. “Such a nerd,” he said playfully, then turned back to the march. The crackle of leaves behind him let him know she was following. Then he felt her kick him, a deft movement aimed at the side of the heel he’d just lifted to take another step. Predictably, the foot caught behind his opposing leg. It took all of his accumulated Dexterity and Strength not to fall flat on his face.
“Goof,” she called back as she passed him up and resumed the lead.
He couldn’t even pretend to be mad. His own laughter had already given him away.
They came across the stream at last, the one that poured down over the cliff, forming the waterfall they bathed in each night. Cade’s mouth was dry, and he wanted nothing more than to slake his thirst. But Minda paused, holding up a hand for him to stop. All was silent around them, a sign that never meant anything good at all.
Cade surveyed the forest around them and couldn’t see anything that hinted at danger. Only the trickling stream was audible now and distant bird chatter.
Just ahead lay the stream, all around it sprouting broad-leaved plants. Up there. Something is definitely there, Cade thought, finding a particular patch of plants. A few of the leaves still shook, as if something had ducked inside.
Minda gave him a look, and gestured for him to fan out. The two spread apart, Cade walking closer to the stream and coming at whatever beast lay hidden from the side. As they closed in, he heard a faint rasping sound.
That was the last thing he noticed before the beast attacked.
The little terror had a body shaped like a badger, but it had no fur. Instead, crimson scales ran its length, brighter than anything natural should be.
“Look out!” Cade shouted as the creature leapt towards Minda.
The beastkin woman was quick, but the lizard beast was faster. In a blink, it had managed to snap its jaws around her leg. She struck out with her dagger, scoring a hit across both of its bulging eyes.
It let go and turned to sprint away into the bushes once more.
Cade flipped his axe and triggered Double Tap.
Two bullets made of condensed ether erupted from his weapon. The first round sunk between the beast’s ribs, and the other struck its spine.
It froze, body twitching as it fought to keep moving despite its debilitating injury. Cade flipped his axe around, thinking the hammer that rested opposite the blade would make for a quick end. But Minda had a score to settle. She pounced, her dagger sinking into the top of the beast’s skull, and its thrashing subsided.
What a badass, Cade thought as the woman yanked the dagger free, a few flecks of bone falling to the ground.
She smiled at him briefly, but he could see concern in her eyes. “What is it? Is the wound bad?”
Minda limped away a few steps, leaving the corpse behind as she found a place to sit down. “It shouldn’t be. Hurt like hell but was just a bite. I’m worried that thing filled me with venom.”
Fear coiled in Cade’s gut as he thought of losing the woman. No. Now’s not the time to lose your head. Calm and cool. He inspected the wound with Minda, and sure enough, two holes marked where the beast’s fangs had punctured. Looking back to the creature, Cade examined it, hoping to find some clue.
Komodo Badger
Level 5
Predator Fauna
“Shit. It sure doesn’t look anything like the Komodos we have on Earth, but I’m pretty sure you’re right about the venom. What does it feel like?” Cade asked, regretful that neither one of them had any specialized skill regarding animal husbandry or wildlife.
“Burns a bit. Going numb. I don’t know how serious it is, but I think I have some herbs that will help,” Minda said, summoning several such herbs from her inventory.
One was a reddish leaf she popped in her mouth and began to chew at once. Then she produced a handful of trimmed stems, each the length and width of a straw. “Here, can you grind these for me? I need to make a poultice to press against the wound. It should help draw out some poison.”
Cade had just the thing. He’d had Satemi make him a smaller version of the Apothecary kit he used so often. A simple stone that fit in his palm and a shallow bowl made from a local hardwood.
Cade pulled the items from his own Inventory and began at o
nce. He combined a bit of water then handed the skin to Minda to drink. Her face was gray, and again he had to fight off a bout of fear.
Before he rubbed the poultice in, however, he knelt to the wound and opened his mouth. Sensing his intentions, Minda held out her hand. “No! You’ll be poisoned too!”
“No, I won’t. Remember, my Lycan Metabolism trait gives me partial immunity,” Cade said in a firm tone, pushing her hands to the side. “What good is being a Chimera Lord if not to help those around you?” He said this last with a smile, hoping to ease the fright he could see beginning to build in her eyes.
Cade placed his mouth over the wound and sucked. He had to fight the urge to vomit as hot blood and an acrid liquid filled his mouth. Spitting on the ground, he did so again and again, moving from one of the puncture wounds to the next. When he was done, his chin was dripping with blood and his tongue and throat were going numb from the poison.
Thankfully, even though the poison still affected his body, he could feel whatever internal mechanisms his body had inherited begin to fight against it. By the time he was done massaging the poultice into Minda’s thigh and wrapping it with moss and thin cordage, he felt normal again.
“Okay, so our original quarry can’t be too much further, perhaps another five or so miles. We can cover that easily in the morning. For now, I want to find a place for us to camp.” Minda’s eyes opened with concern, but Cade help up a hand. “I know. Satemi will be worried, but we told her there was a chance we wouldn’t make it back today. There’s no way we are going back down the cliff with you still injured. Can you walk yet? And what of your herbs? You mentioned a few.”
To answer his first question, the woman gritted her teeth and made to stand up. Rather than help her, he let her rise on her own. He could see her leg was stiff, but could technically hold her weight. Then she grimaced and answered his second. “For that, we will need fire. Your Apothecary skill should be able to make the concoction more effective. It needs to be steeped in boiling water.”