“Wait, you knew it would spawn a cave?” Mysti asked and the ogres gave a ‘yeah obviously’ shrug. “Looks great for a summer cave, winter I guess you need a fire. So what is the plan Red?”
“Barq can you use that stone to make a shovel please,” I asked and Barq swapped out orbs from his pockets inside his robe. I liked how easy that was for him. He crafted me a stone shovel and I tossed it into my familiar bin and then returned it into my core. “Thanks, Barq. Cyrene, Nicole, Mysti and I are going.”
“What about me?” Zoey asked and Desmond raised a hand also.
“Desmond and Zoey are staying behind to protect Ossa and Dib. So are Barq and Shala.”
“You okay with being the tank here incase anything attacks the camp Desmond?” I asked knowing he would rather be here than getting pounced on by tigers.
“Got it covered boss,” the ogre said happily in a deep voice.
“Perfect, for the rest of us this is a quick in and out mission of getting the treasure then run back here. If we encounter too much trouble we will fall back here. Cyrene give your briefing.”
“Alright if we run hard we can make it in four or five hours. This is literally in Vexie’s spawn zone so one of us will distract her while the others dig. We are going to run and try to say nothing the entire time. Talking is like a dinner bell for the tigers. The stegos have a mentality where if you avoid them, they avoid you. To keep jungle noise down, Gryff, you are on rear guard. I know you can keep up and kill tigers just fine but the fewer tigers we tangle with the better,” Cyrene said and started doing checks.
I thought Zoey would pout but instead, she went to helping Dib with setting up a fire in the cave. I knew she loved cooking. Zoey and Dib had become fast friends with their common interests. Barq spawned his cabin and the others went into a relaxed posture. I was in my thick leather armor set and had my metal spear (not the orb spawn) in my hands. I figured keeping a real one out would save mana while we ran. I then realized how basic my outfit was. I no longer had javelins or a sword. I was missing a shield too. A simple spear and full leather coverings minus a helm without even a bag on my back.
“Real quick, can I wear a robe over this and still get mana regen?” I asked. “Shala, add helm on to do list. Oh, and fifth orb.”
“No, best set overrides weaker set,” Nicole said with a grin. “I paid attention to shopping. I wanted leathers under my robes. I still might. I love the pockets and coziness of the robes though.”
“Yeah, I would like more mana regen if I do slot a spell. Pockets are nice too. Are you guys spawning pets or they make too much noise?”
“Hell no, tiger pets go haywire in the jungle. Sure we got some nice cheap pets and if we wanted to level here then yes. We are going to dig up a treasure and run back while trying to avoid distractions. Here we go, stay close to me.”
Cyrene unsheathed her swords and raced for the treeline. I put Mysti in the second spot, Nicole in third, and I took the rear. There was a guilty pleasure of watching three fine asses bounding forward. I trailed behind them and within thirty seconds a tiger pounced on Cyrene.
I watched Cyrene never slow as there was a flash of steel and then a dead tiger that I ran by. The heart was left behind with no one willing to cut out the organ to find an orb. There was a part of me that was sad the animal was wasted. Ten minutes later we hit a nest of tigers in a clearing and I was far less sad.
“Stupid buildup because no one has come through here recently,” Cyrene bellowed a war cry after shouting her displeasure.
So much for staying silent. I stabbed my spear and killed the third tiger attempting to maul me in mere moments. I wanted to start hurling spears but I was warned the boom would bring even more. While every tiger was unique in pattern layout and three tones of color; they all shared swift claws, sharp fangs, and snarling roars.
A tiger bit my ass cheek and when I spun it rotated with me as the cat held on with a solid toothy grip. Mysti sunk an arrow into an ear and Nicole pried the locked jaws of the dead tiger off my body and healed me. The next tiger leaped from too far and landed short. My spear went into the shoulder and continued deep into the chest. A new tiger clamped down on my arm and my sword that Nicole wielded erupted from its chest.
The fighting slowed and the last tiger ate an arrow through its roaring mouth before slamming into the ground in death. Nicole healed us all and we were off again. I looked at the area where the tiger had latched onto my arm. My leather armor was slowly repairing the holes as it closed the gaps. There was still so much to learn about the gaming verse; I think I could no longer refer to it as anything else.
The pace we set was fast and an hour later we hit a small river. To my left, I saw a herd of stegos chomping on long grass on a large river island. They noticed us and the biggest one blared a challenge with a toot that sounded like a trumpet. When we kept going they ignored us. We had to swim across the river; probably why Cyrene had benched Zoey. On the other end of the shore, we re-entered endless tall bushes that were pushed back as we progressed forward. The amount of spider webbing I ate was staggering, even though I was in the rear.
The next nest of tigers consisted of stronger versions. A massive tiger rotated around the clearing we fought in. I was getting mauled badly by three tigers and felt the situation deteriorating. While I had one mortally wounded, I had ensured the next two focused on me instead of Nicole or Mysti. An arrow zipped by my face and sunk into a fourth tiger’s eye. A fifth tiger tipped me over and I teetered until I crashed into the ground. As I was being mauled by the swarm of cats the alpha jumped in to try to kill me. I knew I was dying and in desperation, I summoned Kor and tried to roll free. Nope.
The hydra tore into my attackers with furious anger as he crushed my right leg. The alpha went to retreat when I sat up and summoned a spear. My throw split the air even from a seated position and the retreating alpha was pinned to the tree. The remaining tigers fighting my hydra died as Cyrene charged into their back lines. I despawned Kor before I passed out; that was a first. Our clearing was littered with the dead and my leg was pure mush. My body screamed to my mind to cry out in pain and I barely managed to hold it in.
“What in the holy hell is going on?” Cyrene asked as the team consolidated on me.
The pain increased and I was biting my arm trying not to scream in agony when Nicole kissed me until she passed out. I felt my crushed leg regenerate everything minus my toes. I tried to wiggle them and instantly regretted the decision. I pointed to the alpha who still breathed while pinned to the tree.
“I thought this was a high-level stego, low-level tiger area. What level is he?”
“Let me look, yup no tag dangling from his ear with handy information,” Mysti said with snark as she was bleeding in three places. “I spawned my pet mid-fight and he got devoured in three swipes.”
“You can have an inspection orb in your rotation. Most companies buy them for all their team leaders. Hold on,” Cyrene said as she spawned her tent and ducked into it. Nicole woke up in a groggy haze and I kissed her forehead as I held her. Cyrene exited the tent and I saw her swap orbs. She started inspecting the bodies and then the alpha. “No wonder we almost died. The trash tigers are five hundred in here. This alpha is nine hundred. Give him a whack if you have not yet.”
Nicole grumpily stood and cast a vampiric touch on the massive cat. Mysti shot its tail and Cyrene tossed a rock. We watched while Nicole stole sprinkles of blood into her body. The wounds she had knitted together and then smash, she crashed into the ground. Cyrene sighed and killed the alpha with a few sword slices.
“When she wakes up she will realize all orbs consume mana. We are taking a half hour break to recoup mana. Might as well see what dropped,” Cyrene said. I was trying to wake Nicole when she spoke again, “Back to back mana burnout means less regen for a period and harder crash each time. Help us loot and clear more bush to our defense space. I hate tigers.”
“They aren’t so bad,
” I muttered while tossing cat bodies in a pile. I was not about to start cutting hearts out. I was limping with broken toes and wanted to ensure Nicole was fine before starting busy work. “Hey, I spawned Kor and did not pass out.”
“You and your friend are ranking up. What floor are you now?” Cyrene asked while trying to unjam my mana spear. I unsummoned it and the body slid to the ground.
“I was two forty two, now two seventy-one. Huh. Not bad. Wonder what level those first set of tigers were? Oh hey, Kor is one hundred and one. Oh… he looks bigger,” I said and indeed he looked bigger in his little orb, he was about twenty percent larger. I was impressed. “What did the alpha drop?”
“Unless it is a rare off-drop in the sense of a familiar or treasure chest…” Cyrene said while sawing into the cat’s chest. “Then it will all be common for this planet. These big alphas probably die a thousand times a day across the planet.”
“Welcome back Nicole. We are taking a mana recovery break. Can I get you a water or jerky?” I asked and she shook her head no and proceeded to just lie there while staring at the canopy. “I miss home too.”
“Damn Gryff, you can read minds,” Nicole said with a stressful cough at the end.
“Alright, we got a blue mount and a slashing debuff orb. The second one is not bad for me but I have like seven,” Cyrene said. I spawned my chest and she tossed in the two orbs. She proceeded to keep looting with Mysti as I did over watch. “Theories?”
“The King sealed this area off and I do not think it is for Vexie. My guess a new military base or power leveling farm. Maybe Vexie got huge and is worth killing?” Mysti said and I agreed with most of the logic.
“I would think King Ptera would simply say the truth though. Seal off the area, power level some troops, and tell adventurers to come back in a month at an increased tax rate,” I said and Cyrene huffed a loose lock of hair that had freed itself of her braid. “What are your thoughts Nicole?”
“I find the whole ordeal disturbing. I fucking hate tigers. I hate swearing but I am so sick of getting pounced on by an asshole with fangs and claws.” Nicole said while running her hands through her hair in frustration. She gave a long sigh to calm her anger. “My newest self-heal is already seventy-something. Same with lay on hands. I have enough for your toes. I see you gimping over there Gryff.”
“Well, my toes are still mushed. I will give it time for you to regenerate some magic, the pain is manageable. Been through worse much worse. So my theory is that he is hiding something or someone here. I like the military base idea or secret science lab. Think about how fucking hard it is to get back here.”
“All wrong,” a voice boomed from above us.
My mana spear hit my hand and I readied to throw.
“Wait, I seek to talk not fight. Sorry, I do not talk much lately and my voice is naturally loud,” the voice said while lowering its volume. “Uh… sorry tigers coming. Please I am on your side. I will help.”
Nicole have been exhausted but she was a professional.
She rolled to me and healed my toes. Our group condensed and I tucked away my familiar.
The cats started pouring into the clearing.
The first one died to an arrow and I kept stabbing as fast as I could. As the tigers clumped and circled us, they collected more and more to their side.
Right when I thought they were ready to pounce en masse the oddest thing happened.
A thirty foot tall tree with legs walked into the outskirts of our clearing and used two massive arm like limbs to smash a line of tigers. Whatever battle plan the tigers were trying to enact was ruined. The cats charged us and the thirty foot tall tree-ent. The fight was on but the tigers were losing rapidly. The last few darted off in desperation and we were left panting in the clearing with a very tall tree man.
The tree had a beard of saplings, teeth of bark, and eyes of glass. He was all smiles as he gazed upon us. There were no clothes and there was a floppy penis and huge balls. Of course, right. He walked around the clearing for a second recon, eyes vigilant. When he felt the situation was safe he plopped a seat.
“Tea?” He asked. I got to see his familiar was a dining table as it spawned suddenly.
“Uh… does a bear shit in the woods?” I asked as I sat in an overly large chair that made me feel small.
He frowned and poured me a tea. I think Cyrene had her ‘Ah-Ha’ realization moment because she slapped the table. The violence caused it to despawn and my tea vanished as did my chair.
“Damnit Cyrene,” I cursed in agitation from landing hard on my ass.
“He is Frooska,” Cyrene said while pointing defiantly.
“Hand down Cyrene, pointing is rude,” Nicole said and Cyrene obeyed. “Excuse our manners. Tigers do make one dreadful to new companionship. Thank you for the offer Frooska. I have a nice tea and a fire set in my familiar. Should I prepare a drink?”
“Oh heavens no, I ate and had my fill of waterfall recently. King Petra informed me he had locked down this place from adventurers coming in. I am most curious as to how you got here,” Frooska said and Nicole looked to Cyrene. The tent spawned again and she retrieved the map and then handed it to Frooska. “Ha! Even I did not think of this. Well, maybe free guard guides for maps in the future.”
“I am confused,” Mysti said and then stated the obvious. “The King is working with you while having a massive bounty on your head?”
“My arrangement is private. Suffice it to say in a few more years that bounty will be tagged as myth and removed from the public records. Vexie will be moved and this will be my private home where I trade King Petra for comfort items,” Frooska said while handing the map back to Cyrene. “You should have died to the alpha and his swarm. I am inspecting you and you should have died for certain. Yet, this human is not showing up. I have a legendary inspection orb. Which means I can see all the details besides those that are divine. Two pregnant women, one with a rapid heart worried it is not her.”
“But we have synced and coupled five times,” Cyrene said in disbelief.
Mysti and Nicole squealed and started dancing. I realized Frooska feared me so I did not scold them for celebrating.
“Can we make a deal? You like deals?” I spawned my chest and opened my orbs. I dug around for the perfect one I wanted to give him. I threw the orb and he never reached to catch it. Frooska simply ingested it. “Perfect right.”
“I am impressed. I do not venture into the ocean water ever to get a rain orb. Nor do many of the foes I kill possess them. I can increase my mushroom farming by tenfold with this. A worthy gift and a great way to open trade. What else would you like to offer?” Frooska asked.
“I give up my secret so we are even on secrets. If people randomly swarm here you disclose my secret.”
“Ha! Your secret is not worth more than my happiness. Then again I cannot scan you. Don’t you want to hear my counteroffer?” Frooska asked and Nicole tackled me in a hug. Frooska frowned. “Your ladies are very happy.”
“I bet it was when we did it on the driver’s bench of the cabin yesterday.” Nicole blurted out in tears of joy.
“Nicole, I am happy for you and sad you cannot instant magic a baby. We are having an important conversation. Pull it together. Cyrene, I need you to stop crying and sit. I will give you a daughter.”
Frooska gave an hmm. He was conflicted about how to say something. His silence garnered the attention of us all.
“No, you won’t give her a daughter. This information is free because it is bad news and good news. Her name is not Cyrene on my identification. It is Kami, mother of six. She was poisoned by a husband some two hundred years ago. I only know this because you have a mental poison status of active with a timer and some Gregg name with brackets of former husband. Sorry.”
Cyrene went running away and was tackled by Mysti before she got too far. Nicole went and helped her deal with the pain of her reality. I could hear them whisper talking in the backgro
und.
“Free and I mean it. Sad to see, I love dryads. They are great warriors and in my opinion fantastic wives. So back to this map. You can ride on me and we can run to it. If you are up high the tigers will leave you alone. Might help her if we keep moving,” Frooska said and stood. “She will have to focus on not falling instead of my revelation.”
I walked over to the sobbing dryad and kneeled so our faces were almost touching.
“You will always have a home with me and I will never abandon you. If you want to find your children or Gregg to murder him I will help,” I said and she leaped into my arms in tears.
“I just wanted to have your daughters, they would have been so handsome and pretty. I will be okay. The old me died when I woke up in that alley with amnesia so long ago. I am Cyrene and I will lovingly help our family grow. Yes, that is what I must do. If something happens to a daughter we will get a legendary orb to find out.”
“Or keep having sex and one day you get pregnant,” Mysti said and Cyrene nodded to that idea.
I stood and picked Cyrene up. Then everyone climbed onto the tree-ent’s cupped hands. He set us on his shoulders and started running through the forest. The trees bent and swayed out of our path as he achieved long and fast strides. I watched dozens and then hundreds of tigers pass us by as we raced through the forest. I stopped counting after a while.
“What feeds the tigers? There are so many.”
“Rabbits, they are as fast as they are numerous. Forces the tigers to level up ambush and pouncing,” Frooska said as we covered so much ground I was wondering how long the trip would take. “Poor Vexie, she is a boss without minions to mingle with. The big guy upstairs put her in the wrong place. King Petra wants to move her and let her cycle in with her own kind. We both agree it would help her level as she dominates other tyrannus.”
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