Aldrasyl was silent for a moment. *I am almost certain that is the way of it.*
Garath nodded. *I thought so. Well, no pressure or anything but if you want to make sure I don’t die in the Dungeon I’d be more than happy to add you to the team.*
*Your species confounds me, hu-* Aldrasyl caught himself before calling Garath ‘human’ again. *Garath. Each time you ask me a question, I tell you the answer and then you immediately ask me the same question in a different way. Dungeons remain unattainable to Dragons. Perhaps I should choose my words more carefully. I cannot accompany you into the Dungeon.*
Garath chewed his bottom lip for a moment, knowing Aldrasyl would be frustrated by his next question, but asked anyway. *Is that because you are a Dragon?*
Aldrasyl looked to the sky as if praying for strength. Garath loved the fact that this enormous, powerful, mythical creature would continually suffer his impetuousness. Without the knowledge that, if Aldrasyl were to kill him, the Dragon would die as well, Garath never would have had the balls to poke fun at him like this.
*I ask that specifically because, if I recall correctly, you unlocked the human racial Ability when I unlocked the Dragon racial Ability. BeastScape allows us to take the forms of other creatures that live here on Earth. Maybe you can transform into a human,* Garath explained. *And if you can, then maybe you can help me conquer the Dungeon.*
The Dragon seemed to consider Garath’s proposal for a moment before responding. *I see now that there was a purpose to your question, although you should be more deliberate with your choice of words. I am relieved that you are not quite as stupid as I had assumed.*
*Wow, Aldrasyl. Thanks,* Garath said with mock sincerity. *That really means a lot to me. Anyway, what do you think? I can walk you through how to use the BeastScape Ability if you want.*
*I am a Dragon.*
*Now who’s being thick?* Garath asked. He was just called stupid by a gigantic winged reptile who then went on to answer his question by pointing out literally the most obvious thing in the world. Garath felt a sense of danger as the Dragon got to his feet and the Necrologist hurried to smooth over his insult. *Obviously you are a Dragon. I just don’t see how that’s relevant.*
*It is relevant,* the Dragon replied simply. *Why would a Dragon take the form of a human? I am clearly of the superior species.*
*I don’t mean to be a dick, Aldrasyl, but maybe that superiority complex you Dragon’s seem to have is the reason the Sandrani hunt you.* Garath regretted the words the instant they escaped his lips. To be fair, if Garath could be a Dragon, he would always be a Dragon. *What I mean to say is. . .* he was cut off with a snarl before he had a chance to recover.
*Do not apologize,* the Dragon said with a threatening tone. *You said what you meant. Another difference between humans and Dragons is that you will rarely hear an apology from a Dragon. You are far from the first to accuse the Dragons of arrogance, Garath. Regardless, I grow weary of this conversation, so let me phrase this in a way that leaves no room for confusion. I have no desire to assume the form of a human, nor any desire to accompany you to the Dungeon.*
*Ohhhh kay,* Garath replied. *Well, been nice chatting with you. As always,* he said, standing up to leave the rooftop. Then, an idea occurred to the Necrologist and he turned back to face the Dragon. *Aldrasyl, where do you do your hunting when you leave at night?*
Aldrasyl swung his long neck around to face the Necrologist. *East.*
*The mountains?* asked Garath.
Aldrasyl nodded and slowly began to stretch his wings.
*Would you mind terribly if I joined you?*
Not long after their almost-friendly conversation on the roof, Garath was in his Osprey form nearly half a mile behind Aldrasyl as they soared due east toward the mountains. The Ice Drake grudgingly agreed to let the Necrologist tag along, but he had warned Garath that a ‘tiny feathered raptor’ wouldn’t be able to keep pace with a Dragon. Garath didn’t disagree, but he did promise to do his best not to fall behind.
The airborne Necrologist fell behind almost immediately, but pushed his Stamina bar to the limit in his desperate attempt to keep up. His chest and shoulders burned with every flap of his wings until he couldn’t continue the grueling pace. Resigning himself to being wrong once again, Garath spread his wings wide and coasted on air - losing a great deal of speed and falling even farther behind the Dragon in the process. He called out to Aldrasyl in the silent language of the Dragons, but the big white reptile either didn’t hear him or didn’t respond. Silent language, go figure.
It occurred to Garath that he may know a way through that little loophole and sent a Party invitation to Aldrasyl. He wasn’t sure it’d work, but was delighted when he received a prompt stating that Aldrasyl had joined the Party.
*I know you said I wouldn’t be able to keep up,* Garath told Aldrasyl on the newly established Party communication channel between heavy breaths. *And you were right. You mind taking this trip a little slower?*
Aldrasyl responded with what Garath took to be the laughter of a Dragon. It sounded in his mind like the delighted I-told-you-so of an overly-smug volcano.
*Acceptable,* was the Dragon’s simple response.
The Ice Drake slowed his pace considerably, and eventually Garath caught up. Together they glided through the moonlit night, toward the mountains east of the Guild Hall.
*Any particular destination or quarry in mind?* Garath asked as they passed over a heavily wooded area outside what had once been the city lines.
Aldrasyl made eye contact with Garath briefly before pointing just ahead with his white scaled snout. Garath was amazed at how easily he could make out the Dragon’s expressions even from so far away, wind hammering at his eyes, and at night while in his Osprey form. The Necrologist was relieved that they wouldn’t be making the long flight to the Cascades and turned his attention to the direction Aldrasyl had indicated, his eyes scanning both the countryside and the sky for danger. He pulled up his World Map to try and figure out how far they’d flown and was slightly alarmed to see that they had left the ‘safe zone’ as indicated by the soft green overlay on the semi-transparent map.
The white Dragon began his descent, and Garath followed closely. Aldrasyl’s eyes were glued to the landscape below as he followed a large river that wound between the heavily wooded peaks. Garath traced Aldrasyl’s gaze to the forest below.
*What exactly are we hunting?* he asked when Aldrasyl continued straight past an unnaturally large elk without a second look. Garath couldn’t be sure, but a huge freaking elk sounded like a perfect snack for a Dragon.
*I am not particular about the type of creature, only the quantity. We will first attempt to locate any particularly large morsels,* Aldrasyl trailed off as something caught his eye to the south.
Garath followed his gaze again but saw nothing. He wondered for a moment what constituted as a ‘particularly large morsel’ to a Dragon the size of a house.
*Barring that, we will locate and destroy monster Lairs. There is one, there, just beyond the trees.*
*A Lair?* Garath asked, his curiosity piqued as he squinted in an attempt to identify the Lair. *Let’s do it! Can we do it? Can we?* he begged.
*Not this Lair. As I said, it is in the trees. I am too large to fly amongst them. If we do not locate an acceptably sized creature or Lair nearer to the river, then we can try the caves higher in the mountains. Lairs are numerous there.*
*I think I may be of some use to you here, my friend. We can take this Lair. I’ll go in there and flush the monsters out,* Garath suggested. *When they break the tree line you can gobble ‘em up.*
Aldrasyl considered that, one brow raised on his scaled forehead. Then the Dragon smiled a toothy smile that Garath thought made him look hungry. He was pretty sure he could just make out a steady stream of icy drool falling from the Dragon’s open mouth.
*Acceptable.*
With that, they banked left and dove to land on the riverbank near the location Aldrasyl
had indicated. Garath shimmered out of his Osprey form and into the House Cat form he had grown to both fear and appreciate for its grace in combat. He did find it a little humorous that his most menacing form was a cat, especially considering his under-sized and frankly adorable House Cat form, but the increased agility made it very difficult for enemies to land a hit on him. On top of that, because House Cats were synergistic with his chosen Class, he received a 30% reduction to all Mana costs. For now, the tiny, fluffy white cat was his most dangerous form.
Aldrasyl wasn’t as impressed with the Necrologist’s transformation as Garath was. The Ice Drake stepped away from Garath’s feline form and lifted one of his hind legs protectively, keeping it between his dragon-bits and the white cat below. Garath wished he could have snapped a picture of the horror on Aldrasyl’s face.
*Aldrasyl, you’re going to have to let that go. It was ONE TIME!*
Aldrasyl shifted uncomfortably, never letting his eyes off the little Necrologist.
*Sorry. I know you don’t exactly have fond memories of this form, but it's still my best option for combat. You ready for this?* he asked.
Aldrasyl huffed and slowly brought his hind leg back down to a more natural position. *I am prepared, but how do you plan to drive out an entire Lair of beasts in that diminutive body?*
*Small,* Garath corrected. *The Entity’s system designated House Cats as Small. Not diminutive.*
*The question stands,* Aldrasyl replied nonplused.
*I hadn’t thought about it yet. But either I’ll drive them this way or they’ll chase me this way after I piss them off. I’ll let you know through our Party communication channel.*
Aldrasyl nodded. *Acceptable.*
*How do I find the Lair?* Garath asked.
Aldrasyl looked confused. *Perhaps your species is not as proficient in hunting as I had assumed. In the eyes of a Dragon, Lairs glow even in the dark of night. I can see the location clearly from here, it is only a short distance directly that way.* Aldrasyl pointed ahead with his snout. *If you walk into the forest and continue without altering your course, you will run into it.*
*Okay. Any idea what I should be looking for?*
*Heed my words. You will know it when you see it and that it may see you first, so be wary.*
Garath nodded his tiny white cranium, not entirely sure that he was satisfied with that answer. He put Aldrasyl and the river to his back and ventured into the trees. Not for the first time, Garath was glad to have the improved night vision of his feline form. Outside the cover of the tree line, the full moon had been enough to see clearly, but beneath the crowded coniferous canopy, almost none of the pale lunar luminescence reached the ground.
Garath's senses were on overdrive, picking up every sound and smell, every hint of movement in the shadows. Trusting his 300% improved sense of smell that stacked with the +150% improved sense of smell from his feline form above his other senses, Garath continued through the underbrush. He picked up the scents of several creatures, easily differentiated from non-creature scents by a sensation he could only describe as a ‘warm’ smell. Strongest among them was a putrid odor that reminded Garath of mushrooms. Following that scent, he continued around a massive evergreen.
After a few minutes of high-alert wandering through the creepy forest, Garath worried that he may have lost his way. He was fairly certain that he hadn’t altered course significantly since he’d left the river but he couldn’t be sure. Aldrasyl had indicated that the Lair was “not far” in the direction he’d been heading, but it occurred to Garath then that the definition of “not far” may vary wildly from his own when it was coming from a species that grew to the size of a school bus and was able to cover enormous distances effortlessly. Fortunately, he wasn’t left wondering for long.
Careful to make as little noise as possible, Garath followed the noxious scent stinging his nostrils. A part of him felt silly, stalking around in the dark like an actual predator, but another part of the Necrologist felt a great deal of excitement at the thrill of the hunt. It was a primal excitement that he'd never experienced before. Garath felt like a fucking Klingon warrior.
There was movement in the shadows a few feet ahead and Garath stopped mid-step to wait and smell and listen. He received an unexpected prompt.
Congratulations, Garath! You have unlocked the non-Class Skill, Lair Tracking.
At Rank 1, you can spot a Lair from up to 50 meters away. Practice your new Skill to increase its range.
When he dismissed the prompt obscuring his vision, Garath understood what Aldrasyl had meant when he explained how he’d spotted the Lair. A faint purple glow beneath his feet and all around him let him know that he had indeed found the Lair he’d been seeking, but he wasn’t sure how Aldrasyl had spotted such a faint luminescence from the sky so far away.
Considering for a moment the fact that he was standing inside a Lair, yet hadn’t seen a single creature, Garath turned his head to see how far into the monster’s den he’d unwittingly wandered. Seeing that he was already a good 40 feet or so within the perimeter of the purple glow, the Necrologist started growing suspicious. It wasn’t until a new scent registered, like fresh sawdust with a hint of blood, that he realized he was not the hunter.
He was the prey.
As the scent intensified, Garath became confused. He could smell it clearly, but was unable to put his proverbial finger on the source—until he realized that was because it was coming from all around him.
Now in panic mode, Garath whirled his head around again, scanning the shadows for movement. He saw none. But something did catch his gaze—a pair of reflective, unblinking eyes looking right at him from a few feet away. When he looked closer, he was able to distinguish a pair of pointed ears above them. To his right, another pair of eyes appeared, glowing faintly in the darkness, and another to his left. His heart beat faster as fear crept up his spine, and every hair on his body stood on end. They watched each other silently, each waiting for the other to make the first move.
Here Garath was, thinking he’d managed a stealthy approach into the Lair. In reality, his pure white form stuck out in the dark forest like a MAGA hat at Hempfest.
*Have you located the Lair?* Aldrasyl’s booming voice inside Garath’s mind would have made him shit his pants had he been wearing any. Garath actually would have preferred that reaction to what did happen, in this case.
Instead of shitting his pants, Garath once again experienced the panic response of his House Cat form. The tiny white Necrologist jumped straight up into the air, his back arched and all four legs stiff as a board.
His sudden movement proved to be enough to spur the waiting predators into action. And Garath finally got a good look at what was populating the Lair. He didn’t have to trigger his Inspect ability to know he was looking at a whole den of pumas. Pumas that had grown to be much larger than they should have. Pumas that were in a much larger group than Animal Planet would have led him to believe. He didn’t need to trigger his Inspect ability to know he was fucked, but he did it anyway.
Puma Matriarch
Beast
Health: 1,950/1,950
Level: 19
Station: Lair Boss
Mana: 0/0
Description: A Puma Matriarch will defend her young with fierce resolve. Puma’s are ambush hunters, if you see a Puma Matriarch, it may be the last thing you do see.
By the time Garath’s fluffy white paws touched the ground, he was certain that he wouldn’t be driving the Lair’s creatures through the forest to Aldrasyl. Luckily, that wasn’t his only option. Garath locked eyes with the Puma Matriarch as she pounced. Another notification appeared, and was instantly minimized for later review. Garath barely noticed, His full focus in surviving the several tons of gigantic murder machines coming down at him.
The Matriarch arrived first with an open mouth that bit down on the ground where the agile Necrologist had been only a millisecond before. Garath’s first instinct was to haul ass back to the overpower
ed reptile by the riverbank, but he figured the den of pumas may not blindly follow him into the trap unless he really pissed them off. An undersized house cat would barely be a snack for one of these creatures.
His immediate concern was evading the Matriarch’s next attack. Garath dodged another pounce and released instant cast of Blight, landing a damage-over-time debuff on the increasingly agitated large cats.
A part of him wanted to shift into form with wings and fly the eff away, but the animal lover in him gently reminded him that cats regularly kill birds for food, and just as regularly for sport. Dodging individual attacks seemed doable, though. Two of the cubs attacked at once, both missing their mark when the tiny Necrologist jumped back at the last second. He didn’t think he could outrun the larger felines in a straight race to the riverbank, but the route he'd taken to get there had been anything but straight. If he could use the terrain and his smaller size to his advantage, he'd at least have a shot.
He ran through the shadowed forest for his life, with nine pissed off pumas hot on his ass. Garath dodged left around a tall oak, then squeezed through a patch of thick undergrowth, hoping the pumas wouldn’t fit. He was right, they didn’t. Unfortunately, the athletic monsters had no problem leaping over the dense patch of ferns and brush. A second later, all of the pumas were back on his heels. A searing pain in his hind quarters and a suddenly missing chunk from his Healthbar not-so-subtly let Garath know he’d been caught.
Twisting in his skin, the Necrologist turned, face to face with the Puma Matriarch, his ass in her mouth. He grabbed her face with needle-like claws, and channeled Mana into a Death Bolt. The Matriarch released her death grip on the little white Necrologist as she reared back in pain. Garath didn’t wait for the other pumas to make a move. He ran.
The Tree of Ascension: A LitRPG Apocalypse (Peril's Prodigy Book 2) Page 10