Gryff Boxset
Page 138
I then eyed them both with a raised brow. “Barq I am here to level the playing field so I can get home. I think Shala is here for a mix of you, adventure, and she likes the cause. I know you are here to protect your family. What are your long term goals?”
“Portal mage. I would love to be a portal mage. I think I could trade so much effectively and set up teams where they wait on x day at y time. Portal over to a trade shop, drop off max stuff, and jump myself back before the five minutes is up.”
“Ah, you want to be a portal trader.”
“Yeah the blimps are awesome but my cabin is my soul. I could never kill it. I would rather have babies and find a trustworthy one to be a dirigible captain.”
An awkward silence settled as big round eyes looked a Barq. “You want kids?”
“Of course, never found the right lass or had the finances to settle down. Granted, I would need to organize some things and set up in proper preparation first.”
Shala giggled and snorted on accident. “And all you need is a few billion platinum to buy a portal orb. Geez, at least you set the bar at the top.”
“I only want the very best.”
I left the two of them getting super lovey-dovey. I went to look for a fire pit and found it on the roof near the back. There were four buttons around the fire pit. Push Here. I pressed the button and a wooden chair populated with magic. Umm… Awesome. When I looked forward I saw the ocean on the horizon and the port city of Liri getting closer. Better go check on the girls it was time to get ready to get on a boat.
CHAPTER 10
I checked my level as the warm wind from the sea air assaulted my face. I was still one seventy. I had been killing seagulls for two days and never leveled. The orbs always plopped into the sea and that made me sad. The seagulls were ruthlessly hunted by me, Mysti, and Zoey. They had both hit sixty-three and loved to brag about it. By day three I grew bored because the birds stopped hovering around our ship. My new spear was at twelve, Kor was at seventy-two, and my physical superiority was at forty-five.
The drinking incident had been put behind us, but Nicole was just as disappointed with herself as Cyrene was. I let them know the story would be funny one day and to simply be more careful. They both were trying to make it up to me in numerous awesome bedroom adventures and by keeping our party organized.
We were halfway through the trip to the new continent when Cyrene went into a lecture. The entire team was seated on the deck of the massive ship on a mid-floor balcony with endless ocean on the horizon. The trip so far had been cloud-free and fairly boring.
“Frizzia is the continent we are sailing to; it has a massive mountain northern range and a small southern jungle peninsula. You all know that Thur is a jungle planet. We are deep in our winter right now. That means the ice trolls will be in deep, deep snow. I have been here before for another quest and for trolls too. Let me tell my troll dungeon story first. I ventured out here in the middle of summer desperate to escape the humid cities and extra moist trees. We sailed on a ship just like this and then rode wagons uphill for days as we climbed to cooler altitudes. When it became chilly we rejoiced. Finally we had a respite from the blistering heat. We got colder as we went further and higher. Then the snowline turned to deep snow as we ventured further north in the frigid temperature. We never made it to the boss. We got into the third canyon opening and turned back. Frostbite was less prevalent than bitching warriors. Look even then I swore I would never return. Funny how emotional decisions are overridden by rational conclusions later in life. I tell this story because that was in the summer. We are in the middle of winter, which means there will be less competition and far chillier weather. Most of the people on this ship are traders. The other adventuring team onboard is not going to kill ice trolls and their captain said I was crazy when I mentioned we intended to,” Cyrene said with a pause and waited.
“What else is there to farm here?” Zoey said while helping the conversation along.
“There are a few things. The biggest adventure here is the ice trolls and the five routes they offer. You will see once we get to the King’s checkpoint. If there is a team ahead of us by a week we are limited to four options. A week after a team clears a route it respawns trolls and we can take that route. They are varying in difficulty and length. I will let the King’s guards brief us on which routes to take inside the mountains. During our summer this will be a much busier route and the ferry would probably be full. The snows aren’t too bad. Anyway, the southern peninsula is home to the jungle stego. That is the term for the small-headed spiny tailed dinosaur you see a lot of around here. They are a protected species. Do poachers try to snag some all sneaky like? Sure. The vast majority get a farming voucher and pay a hefty fee to come out here. The babies hatch around this time and the stego population is fairly prolific for this jungle. Most vouchers issued by the King are specific. The team below us is boasting they got a three baby voucher which means they know someone in my opinion. Or they spent a fortune.”
I nodded at this, “We are avoiding stego farming not because we lack the skill or know-how but mainly because there is a large upfront cost. Far more than we have.”
Desmond grunted, “Well, they would kill me too. I cannot tank their damage. Especially with a low-level healer.” The ogre said while pointing at a brave seagull nearing the ship. “I only have heard of nobles farming there. Wait. What about the boss, Vexie?”
Cyrene let out a loud and long sigh while agitatedly picking a flower out of her hair.
“Oh, Vexie… So you can dive into the Frizzia Jungle with a nominal fee if you promise to only go for the boss. Shocker, the boss is not worth the four to five days of sailing or the two days of wagon travel, and then three days of slugging through the forest. It is odd really. The boss is a female mini tyrannus about this high,” Cyrene said while holding a hand about four feet high. “Only level one hundred and I think the best thing Vexie ever dropped was a green toothed dagger. I killed her once and lost money for my time. Solo and came up empty. Yeah it was that bad. So no one kills Vexie, it is all about the stegos for the mounts, real world mounts, or the parents for the orb drop chance of a mount. Oh, and if you enter the jungle; you cannot defend yourself from a stego without a voucher. Your only option is to run. Tigers… yep, kill the fuck out of them annoying bastards. Anyway, down south there are some massive stego breeding farms. Always wanted to visit.”
“I have been there, lots of work down there for a cook. Some breeders want their stego mommas to be pampered. It really is a noble endeavor, as in only nobility do it,” Dib said with a big toothy smile. I had to scold the girls to quit doting on him. They were always saying how adorable the little bear was. “My kids loved the time down there. They would ride the animals as often as they could. The big ogre is right though. Farming them is dangerous.”
“What else lives in the mountains?” I asked while watching a few deckhands swarm to the back of the boat. “What do you think they are up to?”
“There is a huge pack of dolphuna begging for scraps. They follow boats like these for food and to snag whatever the fishing lines hook,” Cyrene said dismissively, but that statement piqued my interest. “The troll or ice trolls are a generic term. There are goblins that help them, and women and children trolls. There are troll shamans, troll chieftains, ranged trolls, melee trolls, and dumb trolls. There is a giant… where are you going Red.”
We had switched my name to Red since we got on the boat.
“I think I have an idea, everyone up. Follow me,” I ordered. I went down a few rows of stairs and onto a back balcony. I saw the wake of the boat as it trailed behind us in a neat salty V. The team clomped down behind me trying to figure out what I was up to. A deckhand went to stop me from going further but I walked by him. I went to a young orc standing behind some nobles, “What is the excitement about?”
“My lord is having fun teasing the dolphuna,” the orc said without any hint of emotion.
My team filled in around me and I grinned evilly. The lady cyclops saw my look and muttered to her husband. He frowned, sighed, and approached with a minor deflated posture. Clearly he did not want to address me.
“Your exposed human teeth have frightened my wife, good sir. Please apologize so she can return to enjoying feeding these dolphuna,” the cyclops said. I had to admit those around me grew tense expecting violence, even I might have expected it.
“I am sorry good lady. My teeth are merely for chewing. Do you feed these animals often? Surprised they are not caught or netted,” I said and I hit a chord with the lady cyclops. She seemed to be a big fan of the dolphuna.
“I am the Duchess Sophula and I thank you for your sincere apology. Most often humans go savage and lose manners. The dolphuna below you, well…” Sophula paused while watching a dolphuna do a flip. “They are as wise as they are ancient. Ships like these have tried to hunt them for generations. At best a few die a year to ballista but this ship has none. I love the little orbs that these drop for a water mount. Our summer home has the most pristine lagoons. Alas, they are very rare to get and always out of stock.”
“I can kill them,” I said and looked down at the hundred plus dolphin tuna hybrids. “Not all of them but probably a lot.”
“Ha! As if. I can wager you won’t kill more than two,” the husband said and was given a scolding look by his wife. Okay, she was the powerhouse here. “I apologize I spoke beneath my standing.”
“How about a wager? If you get an orb you sell it to me at a discount. In return, I stop the boat… Yes, I have made up my mind. Isad, go run to the captain. Request a full stop and more fish brought down,” Duchess Sophula ordered and the orc servant swiftly departed. “Tell me about yourself while we wait.”
“Why of course. First I need my team to get registered points. I am Red and this is Nicole who happens to be an amazing first wife. Nicole this is Lady Sophula,” I said and Nicole gave a formal bow. “Ensure the team gets a tagging for as many of the dolphuna below as possible. Will they scatter from freshwater?”
“Ha! No, neat idea,” Cyrene said and my team went about spraying the school of hungry aquatic animals with fresh water.
I watched as they squeaked and chirped at us while playing in the water falling on them. I think they were enjoying the game and they were cute to watch.
“So fluid in their movements,” I muttered.
“Exactly why I feed them. Worth every gold. Fish are cheap on the ocean; why not enjoy the long ride? I grew bored from wintering in the castle and decided that an excursion would be the best,” Duchess Sophula said. I noticed more adventurers arriving on the balcony. I put the dots together and realized she was the leader of the other team. Well, the money behind the vouchers at least. “Are you those crazy buffoons going into the icy mountains in the depths of winter?”
I ignored her as the ship slowed and then stopped. There was little reason to disclose our plans to her.
The captain arrived with deckhands hauling buckets of fish. The captain was a new alien to me. He had the appearance of a human in body but his hands were tentacles and his neck held gills. His face had small shark teeth and his nose pointed out in a triangle. Two deep eye sockets revealed slitted eyes that were pure black.
“Lady Sophula I must insist we not pause for long, we are making great timing,” the captain grumbled in a wet voice.
“Not long, get the playful scoundrels below nice and worked up. This human at floor…” I showed her my level. “Okay... well, one seventy. You are not even a junior ascended. Oh, this will be worth the laugh captain. I retract my earlier statement. I will wager you. What do you have of value human?”
Nicole came up to my side and whispered we were down to ten thousand silver on us. I sighed at this and then tried to think of what I could wager. Everything had been sunk into this trip.
“I am at a disadvantage, we are a new company and have invested heavily into going into the mountains. My prized possession are not up for barter,” I said humbly and I think I fell into a trap she had set.
“I figured as much. Your time for a week of additional guarding is worth let us say twenty thousand silver. If you kill three or more dolphuna…” Duchess Sophula proposed and the captain scoffed, along with his deckhands. That turned into side chatter and laughter. “Enough,” she snapped. They lapsed into silence. “That’s better.”
“If you kill three or more I pay you twenty thousand silver in a promissory note to the bank of the creator. If not, your group side journeys with me for a week. Three and a half days out and three and a half back. Extra guards are always welcome.”
I think she was expecting me to reject her proposal. I let out a long exhale like I would and eyed the dolphuna all worked up. A few steps to the edge of the railings and I laid down on the nasty balcony deck.
“Uhh… humans are so weird,” the husband said.
“Deal accepted. Dump the rest of the food please,” I said and when Duchess Sophula nodded the school went crazy as hundreds of stinky small fish were sacrificed to the dolphuna.
I summon Kor while laying down. He spawned off the back of the boat and tilted five heads in confusion until he dropped like a rock for the water.
“Kill Kor!” my voice shattered the tense moment.
The hydra rotated his body and slammed into the water in an epic splash. The legendary creature was a marvel in the waters as he went berserker inside the school of the dolphuna. I felt him rapidly draining my core. I watched the bruiser head snap a dolphuna in half. The spiked head gored another and the dragon head mauled a dolphuna. The waters swirled in chaos and terror. I saw my team adding magic to the mix to help how they could. Kor was far faster than his prey. He raced and killed, darted and devoured. Eventually I could not see him through all the blood. I saw the majority of the dolphuna retreat to safety in an ever widening fleeing circle of wake. The dead floated in abundance and were morbid in final poses. The violence was done in less than a minute and I faded into blackness.
∞∞∞
There was arguing on the balcony. A very upset cyclops husband was fuming in a tirade against Nicole. The duchess clapped for me when I stood and dusted myself off. She pointed at my wrist and I looked, two forty two. Seventy-two levels, damn… I saw her read my expression.
“Indeed. Exavi stop that incessant quibbling. Write the damn note. Red, you impress me. The crews are recovering the bodies and floating orbs as we speak. I see a familiar from up here. Those were four hundred floor animals. I figure you will say no, but I would greatly desire your hydra for my collection. It would be a centerpiece in my castle,” Duchess Sophula said. And then boldly asked, “How did you acquire it?”
“No, and I was sworn to secrecy. Fairly common in such transactions,” I replied with a lie. The lady cyclops was still so excited. I watched the husband hand a note to Nicole. “How did the group do?”
Cyrene walked to my side to report, “We missed some of them and shared experience means less overall but hot damn Red. You went up seventy floors. I gained nine. The girls and Barq are now one fifty-six and Desmond is one sixty-two. Shala gained the most she was fifty one and now is one forty nine.”
I gave an audible ugh at noticing how a level one thousand got nine levels and a lowbie got almost a hundred. The grind… Oh, the grind. Big early victories were such a tease. The captain approached and waited for my attention.
“May we use the bodies as food? Dolphuna is a delicacy and we rarely get to eat them. I cannot offer coin but the crews fetching the dead and your loot would appreciate it,” the captain said. “You could stick the cleaned seafood in salted stora
ge but we could really use the meat. I will have some nice filets delivered to your cook for you to take with you.”
Dib nodded to me as did Ossa. They were both ecstatic about leveling and not having to do clean-up work. That sealed the deal in my books. I did not think the skins of dolphins were worth much anyway.
“Yes,” was all I said and he left to ready the ship to sail again. “Where will the crew bring my loot?”
The captain stopped and turned. “Lowest balcony starboard side. Congratulations Red. I am hungry for some excellent fish. Thank you for the entertainment.”
Duchess Sophula followed me as I left for the balcony he indicated. “He rarely says much. You promised to sell me a dolphuna mount if one drops! Oh, Exavi we must adventure more. This is fantastic. We never agreed on a discount. I will pay five percent over vendor price no higher. I bet there is one. I can just imagine soaring through the clear waters of Crystal Bay with a majestic dolphuna gliding me through the bay. I will be the envy of the nobility.”
“Hey… So, you are nice. I find your rambling soothing somehow,” I said and she gave an awe. “I do not exist. I have both a proposal and an offer if you reject it. I need more council members on my company board. I have a banker and someone in with the portal guild. If I make this planet my headquarters a noble would be desired. My deal for your deal is you stick someone on the board when we get back and I sell items you want for your collection at fair vendor pricing. Five percent over if not. The Awesome Adjective Annihilators are recruiting.”
“Ugh, you are incorrigible with that pitch. These fine adventures are in my employ, hassle them with your recruiting later. I agree to your terms… But I get to pick my representative and you will treat them as you treat me. Honest and fair,” she said and eyed me for my response as we walked down a stairwell. I nodded in agreement and we shook awkwardly as we stepped lower. “Perfect. Lady Ovaria is my third daughter. She needs work experience and her helping you will save me a million silver…”