World Tree Online- the Endless Savanna- 3rd Dive

by M. A. Carlson

  Unless I missed my guess, I think the surviving Mfalme lion from the day before just got his revenge. I could have followed the pawprints, but I knew well enough that going alone would be a huge mistake. Instead, I waited at the entrance to our camp for Rose and Olaf to return.

  I’m not going to lie, seeing the large Minotaur shirtless in only his boxers was a little awkward.

  “Bye-bye,” Olaf said with a nod as he walked past me toward his tent, disappearing inside for a moment before stepping out fully dressed, a slightly bloodstained bag hanging from the back of his belt.

  “That was quite possibly the most uncomfortable walk of my life,” Rose said, then added, “He’s . . . angry,” stressing the word angry.

  “Just wait until he sees the state Micaela’s in,” I said, looking worriedly at my friend.

  “Do you know what happened?” Rose asked.

  “I checked it out. It looks like the lion that got away yesterday just got his revenge,” I said.

  “We’re not going to let that go, are we?” Rose asked.

  “Absolutely not,” I said.

  “I’ll get everyone up and ready,” Rose said. “We’ll be ready to hunt him down in ten-minutes.”

  I sighed. “Unfortunately, Olaf already made quest plans for us today,” I said, pointing to the form of a Cheetahwoman walking toward the camp slowly, making sure we could see her coming and being as non-threatening as possible.

  “I forgot about that,” Rose said.

  “Yeah, why don’t you greet our guest and show her into the camp. I’ll check on Olaf,” I said.

  Rose nodded and started walking to the approaching Cheetahwoman.

  “We should have gone after that lion,” Olaf said, snorting angrily as he saw me coming.

  “We didn’t know it would come for revenge,” I said. “That’s my fault. I meant to go back to the Hunter’s Union camp yesterday and try to get more information about the beast, but I thought working on my stats and making those scrolls was more important.”

  Olaf snorted and looked me in the eye. “Yeah, it was. But the blame isn’t yours alone. Any one of us could have gone and gotten that information. That said, we are going after it, right?”

  I cringed and pointed toward the entrance to our little camp where Rose was escorting the Cheetahwoman in.

  Olaf cursed. “I forgot about that.”

  “Want me to see if we can reschedule?” I asked.

  “No, we can’t do that,” Olaf said. “We need to get more information on the city. It could lead us to the Chaos problem in this province.”

  I was surprised by Olaf’s statement about Chaos. Since we logged in, I hadn’t said anything to him about It. Had Rose? Baby? Titan? “Who said anything about Chaos?” I asked.

  “Huh?” Olaf said, confused by my question. “Uh, no one. I just assumed that we would be going after Chaos at some point when you said, ‘Chaos lies in wait,’ when we first came here.”

  “Oh,” I said lamely. At least he didn’t know about the real-world problems. “Anyway, the lion could also disappear,” I redirected the conversation.

  “Yeah, but there is no guarantee the Cheetahmen Tribe will give us a second chance. And the lion is already dead, it just doesn’t know it yet,” Olaf said, his anger flaring as he mentioned the ‘lion’. “Where’s Mic?”

  “She’s taking a shower, Baby is with her,” I answered.

  “Good,” Olaf stated firmly. “We should send Nahid, Marie, Sooty, Loral, and Harrison to the Hunter’s Union camp for the day. They should be safer there until I can beef up the defenses.”

  “Nah, I think I will come with you,” Harrison said, intruding on the conversation as usual.

  “We can’t guarantee your safety,” I said, trying to dissuade the Boarman from coming with us.

  Harrison snorted, “Ha, you do have a sense of humor.”

  I knew I was just insulted. But I also knew it wasn’t worth fighting over. “Anyway, if you’re coming with us, then get ready. As soon as Micaela is ready to go, we’ll be leaving.”

  Harrison nodded. “Roger that.”

  “Let’s go meet our escort,” I said.

  “Bye-bye, Olaf, this is Tikka,” Rose said, introducing the Cheetahwoman as soon as we approached.

  was about a head taller than Rose and very slim with dark black hair that was cropped very short. She wore light clothes, pants and a small tight shirt that clung tightly to her torso covering her chest and back but leaving her shoulders, arms, and stomach bare. They honestly couldn’t have provided much protection or defense. But maybe that was the point, maybe she was ordered to come here like that. She was also barefoot, though the cheetah-like feet probably had something to do with that. And around her neck were about a dozen bronze or brass neck-rings, making her neck appear longer.

  “Nice to meet you, Tikka,” I said, giving her a friendly smile and offering her my hand which she looked down at uncomfortably. I lowered my hand, trying not to be offended by the look.

  “Thanks for coming to get us,” Olaf said, stepping in at seeing the woman’s discomfort.

  “It was my duty,” Tikka replied with a small bow of her head. “Will your party be ready to leave soon? I would like to return to my village by noon.”

  “Noon? What time did you leave your village to get here so early if it will take us until noon?” Rose asked in surprise.

  “It took me about twenty minutes, but I ran. You would not be able to keep up,” Tikka stated.

  I don’t think she was trying to be insulting, but her interpersonal skills could use some work.

  “Is it a ‘Body Control’ subskill?” I asked, wondering if it was some kind of super sprint or something like that.

  “No, it is an innate skill unique to the Cheetahmen Tribe,” Tikka answered, sounding rather proud. “None are faster than the Cheetahmen.”

  “Must be like your ‘Bull Rush’ skill, Olaf,” I said.

  “It is. The Beastkin have been truly blessed by the Ori,” Tikka said, a small, reverent bow of her head when she mentioned the ‘Ori’. I guessed that was the pantheon my Goddess wanted me to get in contact with.

  “Ollie,” Micaela’s shout interrupted me before I could ask any questions. The woman rushed across the camp in an instant, almost spearing Olaf with her horns as she crashed into him.

  “Shh, it’s okay, babe. I’m fine,” Olaf said reassuringly, leading her away from us so they could talk in private.

  “Baby, can you go wake the others and let them know the plan?” Rose asked.

  “Sure,” Baby replied. “What is the plan?”

  “Right, you just got here,” Rose said. “Jack, tell her the plan,” she said, making me realize that even Rose didn’t know the plan yet.

  “Most of us are going with Tikka to the Cheetahmen Tribe’s village. I want Nahid, Marie, Sooty, and Loral to head to the Hunter’s Union for the day. We’ll escort them to the Hunter’s Union camp on our way,” I answered. “Unfortunately, until Olaf has a chance to reinforce the camp, we can’t take any chances with their lives.”

  “What about Ti . . . Titan?” Baby asked, almost using Titan’s real name.

  I looked first at Rose then at Baby and didn’t see a new necklace. “He can continue with the assignment I gave him last night. And tell him not to return before dinner.”

  Without Olaf, Tikka seemed to tense up when it was just Rose and I.

  “You can relax, we don’t bite,” Rose said, flashing a fang filled grin at the woman.

  Tikka took a step back. “Somehow, I do not think that is true,” she replied, her own sharp teeth flashing in the early morning light.

  Rose giggled. “I guess that is a little true for me. I am a Daywalker though, so no need to worry.”

  Tikka tilted her head slightly but did not relax.

  I wanted to ask her why she was so tense, but I thought better of it. Hopefully, by the end of the day I would get some answers. Instead, I kept quiet while I waite
d for our friends as Rose tried to start a conversation with the Cheetahwoman to no avail, getting short one- and two-word answers.

  Eventually, Baby and the others joined us, though Marie looked rather put out and complained loudly about the interruption to her beauty sleep. Another round of explaining the plan for the day including a protest from Marie that she wanted to come with us and then insisting on it until eventually we gave in. Thankfully, Nahid, Sooty and Loral had no complaints, Loral was mostly excited to start working with the lioness hides.

  “Okay, let’s go,” Olaf said, returning with Micaela gripping his hand tightly.

  “I will lead,” Tikka said then paused as she looked at the field of traps. “Perhaps you would lead us past the traps . . . Olaf?”

  Olaf chuckled. “Sure,” he said, leading the way out of camp with Micaela still clamped on to him.

  Once we were all gathered safely outside the perimeter of the camp, Tikka led us at a brisk pace moving North. I say brisk but it was more akin to a light jog that wore down our stamina in spite of my ‘Body Control’ skill. And every time we needed to stop to rest to regain stamina, Tikka gave us an annoyed looked. I say ‘us’, but really it was Rose, Baby, Marie and me. Olaf, Micaela, and Harrison could do no wrong in the Cheetahwoman’s eyes. On the bright side, it was good training. I gained +11-Stamina on the trip and as a bonus I had a few minutes to update the map I was creating, though not in very much detail.

  During one of these breaks, Vision finally approached Micaela.

  “Boss,” Vision said softly.

  “Hey Vision,” Micaela said, kneeling down next to the wolf and scratching behind his ears. “How are you doing?”

  “Boss, I . . . I am so sorry,” Vision stuttered out. “I . . . I failed. I did not see that attack coming.”

  “Oh, Vision, it’s okay,” Micaela reassured the pup. “Bye-bye already explained what happened. And you told me yesterday that you couldn’t see the lions from the spirit realm. I don’t blame you at all.”

  “But I failed you,” Vision protested.

  “You did nothing of the sort,” Micaela stated firmly. “The failure was ours. We didn’t protect our camp as well as we should have. We didn’t post a watch. We assumed Olaf’s traps would be enough protection.”

  “But I should have been able to see the attacker. I am supposed to be your eyes. My job is to see what you cannot . . . and . . . and I failed,” Vision said, his ears drooping and his head lowering.

  Micaela looked down to the wolf and put a gentle hand on his head. “Then you just need to get stronger. And I’ll help you.”

  Vision perked up, his eyes finally meeting Micaela’s. “Really?”

  “Of course,” Micaela said. “But you better be ready to work hard. Drill Sergeant Crushhammer will work you to the bone and then push you even harder.”

  “I can do it. I can do it, Boss,” Vision said.

  “Good, we’ll start as soon as we get back to camp,” Micaela said, giving Vision a good scratch.

  “We have stayed in one place too long,” Tikka said. “We need to move, or something might decide we are food.” Her statement made me realize we hadn’t been attacked by anything. Did moving like we did really deter anything from coming after us? Anyway, she was right. Once again, we were on the move, trying to keep up with Tikka’s pace.

  A look at my game clock told me it was just past 10:30 AM, not nearly the noon Tikka mentioned. Then again, the sight before me didn’t look like a thriving village of Cheetahmen.

  “Forgive me for asking, but . . . uh . . . is this the village?” I asked. The village in front of us was little more than a burned-out husk, and from the look of it, it burned a while ago, weeks . . . maybe months. There were maybe a dozen huts or what used to be huts surrounded by a broken-down wall and no sign of life.

  “This is not my home. Chief Chosi instructed me to show you this place,” Tikka answered.

  “Who used to live here?” Rose asked.

  “This was the home of one of the three Human tribes that used to call this province home,” Tikka said.

  “What happened to them?” Olaf asked.

  “Lord Leonidas,” Tikka spat. “I did not like the Humans, but they did not deserve that. Especially not the children.”

  “Leonidas killed them?” I asked, feeling my blood boil. I had my answer as how I could deal with him. If he killed children, then they were definitely well below his level. And if they were below his level, then he had judgments against him.

  “Leonidas ordered it, Chief Gofi and his thugs carried it out,” Tikka answered.

  Mentally I cursed. I couldn’t be sure the deaths of so many innocents would count against Leonidas.

  “Why?” Olaf asked. “Why did he do it?”

  Olaf had a point to his question. The reason he slaughtered so many mattered, but it didn’t excuse it.

  “Chief Chosi will tell the story, I was only asked to show you this place,” Tikka replied.

  “You said there were other Human villages, did the same happen to them?” Baby asked.

  Tikka only nodded.

  “Please, take us to meet with Chief Chosi,” Olaf requested.

  It took another hour to get to the Cheetahmen Tribe’s village and I gained another +4-Stamina for the effort.

  We were greeted at the gate by a Cheetahwoman flanked on either side by two Cheetahmen dressed similarly to Tikka, though their pants and shirts appeared to be made of thick leather instead of cloth.

  “Welcome,” the Cheetahwoman said.

  Quest Alert: Chief Chosi of the Cheetahmen 1 (Recommended Level 18-22) – Completed!

  Chief Chosi of the Cheetahmen has promised you and your companions work for her tribe. Tikka, a Cheetahwoman, will guide you and your companions to the Cheetahmen Tribe’s village in the morning.

  Reward: +10,000-Experience

  “Thank you for having us, Chief Chosi,” Olaf said, stepping forward to greet her.

  “Sister, thank you for escorting them,” added, bowing her head to Tikka.

  “I am honored, Chief Chosi,” Tikka responded formally, then quickly darting into the village and out of view.

  “Forgive my sister, she is . . . uneasy,” Chosi started then trailed off. Shaking her head, she spoke again, “Please, come inside the village. I trust there were no difficulties on your way?”

  “Other than trying to keep pace with Tikka, no,” Olaf said with a friendly chuckle.

  “Yes, well, Cheetahmen are not known for moving slowly,” Chosi said. “Anyway, let us speak where we shall not be overheard.”

  We were guided to the largest hut in the village, presumably Chosi’s home or just the Chief’s home. Inside was stiflingly hot, even compared to the heat of the savanna outside. Add in the incense Chosi had burning and the room was rather oppressive feeling.

  Chosi, however, purred in contentment. “A good heat, yes?”

  Olaf cleared his throat before any of us could comment. “It is very nice. Now, I don’t mean to rush you, but you wished to speak with us in private. How can we help you?”

  Chosi didn’t speak at first, instead she closed her eyes and breathed deeply, inhaling the intense body odor that the heat was causing. “You all smell of blood and fighting. It is good, you are all warriors. For I would not tell this tale otherwise.”

  That was slightly ominous.

  “My sister showed you the ruins of our once neighbors. The Human tribe that once called that place home were worshipers of Erinle, the Orishas God of Health, Wellness, and Medicine. They were healers and friends to all tribes, healing our sick and injured. Lord Leonidas ordered their deaths and Chief Gofi carried out the heinous act, killing everyone, men, women, and children. None were spared. And when it was done, Chief Gofi moved on to the next Human village and they fell as well,” Chosi told the story, her voice filled with sadness.

  Chief Gofi didn’t sound like a good guy, but he was a Citizen of the World Tree and didn’t get Jud
gments like the players did. It made me wonder if Leonidas knew how the system worked, if he was smart enough to use NPC’s to kill other NPC’s.

  “Why? Why did he order them killed?” Olaf asked, repeating the question he asked Tikka when we were at the ruins of the village.

  “Lord Leonidas believes that all non-Beastkin are evil and should not be tolerated in the land Beastkin call home. Many of our kind believe these lands are our place of origin, a fanciful wish. No, our people came to this land many, many years ago and the people of the Orishas welcomed us with open arms. Helped us to build a life and taught us how to live in this land,” Chosi answered.

  I couldn’t help but notice that her answer was incomplete.

  “Okay, but why?” Olaf repeated. “Why does he believe non-Beastkin are evil?”

  “I do not know the full story,” Chosi began. “The Endless Savanna is one of the few provinces that was blessed with always having a portal open to the World Tree, even before the arrival of the adventurers. It is why the Bazaar of the Beastkin has always been such a successful trading post. But with that blessing, a terrible price was extracted from the Beastkin. Slavers.”

  There was a gasp from Baby and Micaela and a growl from Olaf, Harrison, and Rose.

  “Leonidas was a slave,” I said.

  Chosi nodded. “He came to our province in the first days of the adventurers. He was kind and did all he could to help the people. He was with us for a month before he returned to the other place you adventurers go. And to the surprise of the people, he returned to us when the next month began. He picked up where he left off. Hunting with the Hunter’s Union, fulfilling the requests of the tribes. Then one day, maybe a week after he returned the second time, he vanished.”

  Chosi paused a moment and took a sip from a jug that I hadn’t seen before. “When he returned almost a month later, he was not the same. It was as if a demon had replaced him. He was filled with hate and anger, and woe be to anyone not a Beastkin. He banished the non-Beastkin, ordered the slaughter of the Human villages, and claimed leadership of the Bazaar of the Beastkin.”