Jeb sat and thought for a while.
“Maybe they simply returned you to the starting point?” he suggested. “They didn’t let you fall to your death.”
“I don’t like these unannounced summonings. Do you know anything about the Guardians?”
“No idea,” Jeber_Arium shrugged. “Dan, you have to finish the quest The Secret of Forest Hill, remember?”
“Yes, of course, I remember. But how do we reach Anchor?”
“We have to go west. I checked this morning. The sun rises over the Dark Frontier. If we keep the mountains at our back as a guide, we won’t get lost.”
“Maybe we should risk returning to the portal?”
“Where will it take us?” Jeb hunched down at once, his shoulders drooping. I understood his feelings. He had felt normal again, had escaped not only the darkness of the underground but also the shroud of encroaching madness and he cherished it and was afraid of a repeat.
“Let’s try it, at least.” I insisted. “Think about it, the portal now features the usual rune sequence. Maybe it has a normal interface, too? Like a ‘pick your destination’?”
Jeb nodded with some effort. We hadn’t had time to check the arrival point since we had immediately rolled down the slope and were then attacked by the wolf pack.
“Let’s not delay then. Call Weasel.”
“Right, just wait a minute,” he paused, focusing on the interface tabs and probably reconfiguring it again to give him quick command access to our NPC companion.
I left him to it. I was overcome with questions and doubts. The sudden teleportation had left a very bad taste in my mouth. Who was using me for their own ends, pulling my strings whenever they wanted?
Yes, I had to admit, I did wonder if I should get rid of the stone and the amulet. Or at least block their effects. I had enough of my own problems.
Weasel was dashing toward us across the clearing. The squirrel pup was dragging something long behind him. A hazel branch, full of nuts!
Jeb patted the animal and gathered a handful of hazelnuts. Weasel immediately snatched one of them, ran a little distance away and bit into it.
Wow, what a breadwinner! He had filled his belly and even brought us a treat. His sincere care touched my soul and made me ashamed of my earlier thoughts. Yes, I had plenty of problems. But would I not have tried to free the captives myself if I had the chance?
I shouldn’t blame some unknown force when I’d failed. Last time, when I managed to help the novice player, I didn’t feel this annoyance.
Jeb was right. The Secret of Forest Hill was a priority. As soon as we got out of here, I’d sell the portal coordinates to the mapmakers. If that money wasn’t be enough for Sasha’s treatment, I’d take out a loan. We’d make it.
Chapter Fourteen
THE SUN HAD passed the zenith when we finally finished packing and left the abandoned mine, heading up the slope in a roundabout way, towards the portal.
I still had questions but was now thinking in a different direction.
I acutely remembered the sudden summoning. I had seen the frames of the captives. They were all players. Why were the Dark ones taking prisoners to the tower? The remains littering the platform, the repulsive appearance of the creature from the Abyss, particularly the tentacles with suckers framing its mouth, evoked some creepy suspicions. What if it feeds on the victims?
It sounded crazy even to my own ears. How could this be possible? Surely the admins were monitoring what happened in virtual reality! It was terrifying to imagine what a person would feel if the beast began to devour them alive.
What other options were there? Why were they being led there?
A scarlet marker suddenly flashed at the edge of the minimap.
“Dan, it’s the wolves!” Jeb warned me nervously.
“Yes, I can see them. Up the tree you go!”
I reacted more or less calmly to the appearance of the mobs. After the morning’s visit by the Warrior of the Abyss and the subsequent summoning, the appearance of the wolf pack didn’t produce such acute emotions as the day before.
Separately, we could handle each one of the opponents. Even the pack leader. Jeb and I had discussed tactics in advance and now the main thing was to stick to them.
But the NPCs had learned something too! Their mental agility was striking! The pack was in no hurry to attack. Having spotted me, the wolves began circling at a distance. The red markers moved further and further apart, forming a circle, and only the trembling of shrubs occasionally revealed the position of the predators.
“Dan, I can’t take aim! They’re too quick!”
“Try to aggro them!”
A fireball pierced the forest gloom and the burst of flame briefly illuminated two swift silhouettes. Jeb missed them. At best, he had slightly singed their fur.
This was bad. The mobs were going to rush me from all sides, knocking me down and ripping out my throat. They had attacked alone or in pairs yesterday!
I couldn’t see the smoky wolf yet. He kept away, filling the forest with his lilting howl.
“I’m retreating to the mine!” I had to change my plans. “Jeb, try to reach it without going down to the ground.”
“I will!” came his answer.
I rushed back to the cliff. It was worth remembering that most NPCs were based on neural network technologies, so they could learn and change their approach, depending on the circumstances. Cyberspace developers had managed to recreate real wild nature... It was time that I learned that.
Branches smacked me in the face. There was a flash behind me as Jeb tried to draw the aggro towards him, but unsuccessfully as he probably missed again.
The line of markers broke. My unexpected rush made two predators stop on the spot (they were hoping to catch me at the cliff) and the rest to launch in pursuit. The green mark of my only ally quickly retreated to the edge of the minimap.
A long howl swept over the slope as the Aura of Fear — the leader used one of his abilities, which slowed me down slightly but couldn’t inflict serious damage due to the distance between us.
Jeb and I were still too weak for these dangerous locations. I couldn’t help but remember the coordinated defense of the Dark players, who had killed the Protorat.
The ravine soon brought me to the cliff. A gray shadow darted across my path and a strong jolt almost knocked me to the ground. Teeth gnashed against the shield that I had just managed to hide behind when I detected the mob. It leaped back, avoiding a retaliatory strike, but where was the second one?
A scarlet marker rapidly approached from behind. I didn’t have enough time to turn around and meet the enemy face on. I had only one risky option still left. I charged forward until the edge of the rocky ridge, pushed off with all my might and jumped…
The old boardwalk barely withstood my weight. Bits of rotten wood showered down. One of the mobs managed to leap after me. I quickly straightened up and turned around, but the beast found itself in an unfamiliar situation and at high altitude. It dropped down to the dilapidated boards and howled anxiously but received only a plaintive whine in response. One wolf had fallen into the ravine and the others hesitated at the edge of the cliff, shuffling nervously and considering a jump.
I couldn’t let them do that! Hiding behind my shield, I began to push the mob back, blocking the blows from its paws. He shrank back and then jumped, trying to knock me down using a tried and tested technique, but the rotten planking trembled, one of the cracked vertical bars suddenly snapped, unable to bear the weight, and the old dwarven construction began to lean dangerously. It wouldn’t take much for it to collapse completely and then we’d both be in trouble!
The wolf sunk his fangs into the edge of my shield, hanging off it like an unbearable weight and forcing me to expose myself. His claws slashed across my leather breastplate as we teetered on the edge…
The fight did not last long. The wolf tore open my shoulder and cut my head, but was pierced twice by my sword. I staggered.
The pain was unbearable. Blood from the laceration poured into my eyes. To avoid losing my balance on the dangerously leaning platform, I had to cling to the wooden gate of the lift, dark with age.
The pain clouded my mind... Where was Jeb?
The wolves were still darting along the cliff edge, not daring to jump onto the listing planking.
There was my partner! The green marker approached rapidly. Did he ignore my advice and came down from the tree? Nope! The fireball struck downwards and sideways, exploding at the edge of the cliff and pushing three mobs into the abyss. They fell, their fur emitting a stinking smoke. A moment and the impact on the sharp rocks sent them into respawn. Only one wolf was left, plus the smoky pack leader, whom I couldn’t see.
“Jeb?”
“Everything’s great, Dan!” he responded recklessly, releasing a string of flaming spheres. The last wolf in the pack shared the fate of its fellows.
“You got here quick!” I said, wiping off the blood and breathing quickly and heavily. My head was spinning like crazy.
That’s all right... I had to be patient. Natural regeneration was slowly but steadily restoring my life points, gradually easing the pain and returning the ability to move and think clearly.
“I moved through the treetops! Weasel showed me the way! I would have had to climb down without him, since I couldn’t know which branch would stand my weight and which one wouldn’t.” Jeb’s voice still rang with the excitement of the short battle. “Dan, you won’t believe it, but the smoky one ran away.”
“You’re right, I don’t believe it.” Feeling a little better, I began to cautiously descend along the rickety structure. My Life bar trembled at a quarter full. “Stay in the tree! I’ll take the long way up.”
* * *
As I scrambled up the barely noticeable, winding and steep path laid by the dwarves, the former owners of the abandoned mine, Jeb kept watch, but it was as if the smoky pack leader had disappeared into thin air.
My Life bar had managed to regenerate to half-full by this time.
“What’s the situation?” I tried to spot my companion, but he was well camouflaged among the thick foliage.
Weasel slipped down on the ground from the stout tree, followed by Jeb.
“Quiet for now. Shall we go to the portal before the wolves respawn?”
“Send Weasel ahead to check. By the way, how do you communicate with him?”
“I have a set of commands. I’ve been reading that you need to master the ability ‘Animal Friend’ to establish a mental connection.”
“Are you going down the multiclass path?”
“Yes, in the end, everything rests on it. Only elves naturally possess this ability, but with high Adaptability and the presence of an NPC companion, I’ll definitely be able to master it!”
“Let’s make a note of it,” I agreed. “There must be other options, like books with skills and abilities. The main thing is to reach the town. Hiking through the Wild Lands is not an option. We’re still weak for such adventures. We’ve only got four hours and we have to figure out the portal in that time...”
“And deal with the smoky wolf,” Jeb added.
True, a large crimson marker had appeared on the minimap.
The leader of the pack was hiding near the portal. He didn’t pay any attention to the nimble little animal moving through the trees.
Weasel turned out to be an excellent scout. His speed and the ability to see what is hidden allowed us to avoid an ambush.
Strangely, even as we cautiously approached the portal, located at the top of a small forest hill, Jeb and I couldn’t see anything.
I raised my hand in warning and Jeb stopped obediently.
“Do you see him?”
“No,” he answered in a husky whisper.
“Don’t move. How much mana do you have?”
“Seventy-five. It’s at maximum. I have enough for seven fireballs and I can also cast a minor healing spell.”
I just shook my head. Our abilities were still very limited. I only had two types of attack in my arsenal: lunge and slash. I hadn’t managed to learn any combinations. I also couldn’t parry properly with my shield.
“Withdraw.”
“Why?” Jeb asked in a whisper.
“Weasel can see the smoky wolf but we can’t. Something’s not right. Call the squirrel.”
We retreated ten paces and disappeared into the hazel. I took the lump of resin that I had found in the cave from my inventory. It concentrated elemental energies. Perhaps I could use it to buff my weapon.
Weasel was already here, winding between our feet. I wished that we could communicate with him properly. How could we find out where the pack leader was hiding?
Jeb squatted down and began to question his companion in the hope that he would understand why we were concerned.
I rubbed the resin against the blade but so far with no effect.
Weasel turned out to be surprisingly quick-witted. He disappeared into the shrub for a few seconds, then came back with a small flat stone, which he threw under Jeb’s feet and began to ruffle the grass around it.
“What is he trying to say?”
“The stone is the portal. The wolf is hiding in the grass?” Jeb supposed.
“Seriously?” I laughed ironically. “The leader is too big to hide like that!”
“We have to check!”
“Fine.”
There were plenty of tall trees growing around the hill. We climbed one of them and saw the portal. The stone circle was still emitting a faint golden shimmer, but there really was something wrong with the grass. Why wasn’t it moving when the leaves on the nearby shrub rustled in the wind?
I looked closely and spotted a faint haze clinging to the ground.
An illusion? Or was the Abyss-altered wolf capable of metamorphosis?
My right hand prickled. I inspected my sword. It didn’t look any different but why did I feel a slight tingling, as if from a weak current?
I concentrated on the weapon and read its properties.
Long sword. 8-10 damage with scaling according to Strength.
Additional lightning damage 1 with scaling according to Intellect.
…
I couldn’t understand why the lightning damage was so small.
A hint popped up immediately:
Air elementals are still angry at you because of the way you treated their magic symbol.
…
What a pain! I’d be smarter in the future.
“Jeb, will the fireballs reach the hill from here?”
He nodded vigorously.
“Then you’re staying here. See the mist in the grass near the portal?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s the leader. He metamorphosed or used an illusion — we won’t know until we disrupt his ambush. I’ll go first. Attack on my command.”
“Okay,” Jeb clearly didn’t like my risky plan, but he didn’t argue because there were no other options. Fire damage was the most powerful, and therefore the mage had to be out of reach of the enemy’s claws and teeth.
* * *
I climbed up the hill. My goal was to aggravate the pack leader and force him to materialize and attack, thus exposing him to Jeb’s fireballs.
It seemed simple. Yesterday, the smoky wolf was sent into respawn quite quickly since he was extremely vulnerable to fire. When we watched the recording, we noticed that the fireballs stunned him, disrupting his attack and forcing him to stand still while his fur burned. This would give me a good opportunity to inflict physical damage and retreat.
There was the top of the hill. I could see the faint golden glow of the teleport and the misty substance spread over the grass.
Why wasn’t the creature reacting to my approach? Was he waiting for me to cross the boundary of his trap? What did this haze mean? It was a shame that we hadn’t managed to discover all his abilities. The pack leader had left something in reserve.
The buff on my sword was
still holding. I stepped forward and swept the sword over the ground, knowing that the steel was unlikely to inflict damage to the disembodied form but the lighting would at least sting and annoy him.
I was right!
The mist rose in swirling geysers and most of them instantly curved, throwing smoky tentacles in my direction. I recoiled, feeling very dizzy.
My Life bar wobbled and suddenly dropped!
…
Edge of the Abyss (Respawn Trials Book #1) LitRPG Series Page 21
