Treachery (The Terra Trials Book 1)

by Dan Thomas

  “Shoot,” Chopsticks said.

  Max stood up and, with one last glance past the trunks, began jogging on.

  “Well, that was easy,” Chopsticks said as the door closed, presumably behind Sam.

  “I think seeing Jag’s put her in a bad mood,” Max suggested as he clambered through thick vines that hung like curtains around a large swath of trees. The jungle was becoming denser as he moved away from the grassy plains, which would soon slow his progress down.

  “Maybe. I thought it was pretty cool to hear from him again,” Chopsticks said.

  “Sure, but you didn’t date him.” Max turned his gaze up as a thought crossed his mind. He grabbed hold of one of the thick vines and jumped up, his legs flailing around for a moment while he searched for a foothold. Unable to hold his own body weight for long, he began to slip back down before his foot caught in a tangle of vines, allowing Max to take the weight off his arms. Murf had zero skill for climbing, but the vines and trees grew much like a net, forming a natural ladder toward the canopy. It seemed like it would be easy enough to get up even without the Terraining Trait. He just hoped that there weren’t any Strangler Vines hiding within the mess of creepers.

  “And what if I did? I’d be wishing I could be a full-timer with him,” Chopsticks paused. “Wait, do you think he’s taking applications?”

  “Dude, how did you even get a girlfriend?” Max asked as he looked upward, trying to find a way through the vines.

  “Beats me,” Chopsticks said. “What are you doing, by the way?”

  “Trying. To. Climb,” Max grunted as he hauled himself upward.

  “There’s a foothold there,” Chopsticks pointed out.

  “Can’t see you, dude,” Max reminded his friend.

  “Oh, uh. Up to the left. There’s enough room for you to climb up onto a branch,” Chopsticks said. “Why didn’t you just go around all this?”

  “Didn’t look too bad from the ground,” Max said in his defense. “Besides, it gives me a chance to level up my Agility.”

  “You were always great at finding the hardest route through.” Chopsticks snickered.

  “What’s so funny?” Max asked as he finally made it to the top of the vine web. He hauled himself onto the branch, swung his legs over, and poised ready to descend the other side. He couldn’t decide whether this had been faster than going around but making things difficult for himself now would pay off in the long run with a stronger character.

  As he was making his way down the other side of the vine curtain, his foot slipped, and before he could grab hold of anything, he tumbled down the vines, landing heavily in a heap on the ground. “Ugh, this stupid character.”

  “Not as stupid as that time you thought a Velociraptor would make a good puppy. That little terror killed more animals we tried to tame than I care to count.”

  “Heh. Yeah, little Dory was a nightmare. I guess I forgot how difficult it was at first. Holic has been my second skin for so long.” Max held his hand out in front of his face and waved it around. “Oh, geez, I forgot the Concealer was still on.” He patted his clothes until he felt the little piece of circuitry. Pulling it off, he saw his body appear back into the world. “Imagine if I would’ve run that dead out here in the middle of nowhere when there’s no one to see me anyway.” Max slipped the Concealer into his pocket.

  “See, this is why I keep telling you to turn everything off whenever you leave a room.” Chopsticks sounded like his mom.

  “You don’t even live with me!” Max laughed.

  “Hey! I’m just environmentally aware, all right? And that advice would have been useful if you would’ve forgotten about the Concealer much longer,” Chopsticks shot back.

  “Point taken.” Max looked over his shoulder at the vines he had just clambered over. “That would make an awesome trap if we decide to add an Unenlagia to our dino collection.”

  “It would,” Chopsticks agreed. “Maybe we could do that after we’ve taken out the Ravagers and claimed all their stuff.”

  “Yeah. I haven’t thought much about what we’re going to do after that,” Max admitted as he pushed himself back into a jog, ignoring the missing portion of his health bar which hadn’t fully recovered from the run-in with the Unenlagia, lowered even more by the fall. He’d tried not to think about anything other than leveling up this smurf character. In the heat of the moment, this sounded like a great plan, but the more he played as a low-level character, the more he realized what a complete waste of time this could be. For all of them.

  “After rubbing their faces in the dirt and feeding them to the dinos, how about we hop worlds for a bit?” Chopsticks suggested.

  Max gasped theatrically. “Chopsticks? Wanting to do something other than dinosaurs? I thought you were the one saying it would be a waste going through all this to move on from Primeva.”

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa. I’m not saying we abandon my beautiful dinos, I’m just saying, me and you, we could take a vacation. Maybe visit those holiday homes you saw with Jag...or perhaps,” Chopsticks lowered his voice. “Go play barbarians on Mythia. Think of all the damsels that need saving.”

  “Chopsticks. I don’t think Sienna would appreciate that.” Max chuckled.

  Chopsticks scoffed, “I don’t mean for me. You haven’t even spoken to a girl other than Sam and Sienna in living memory. Sienna’s taken, and I don’t think you’re Sam’s type.”

  “Hey, that’s not... Okay, that might be true.” Max sighed as he hopped over a low-lying bush. “We could just do that now. Skip worlds, I mean.”

  “You don’t want to go through with the plan?” Chopsticks asked after a pause.

  Max slowed to a walk as he entered a large clearing, catching his breath he took a quick look around. The area was not only clear of trees but also vegetation, the ground mostly bare apart from dry leaves covering the earth. “I just…think about everything else we could be doing instead of leveling up this stupid character.”

  “This stupid character is going to bring an end to the Ravagers!” Chopsticks reminded Max. “Think about all that loot! The glory!”

  “And we could find that glory questing, or, I don’t know, sailing and exploring,” Max said, aware of the noise the leaves crunching under his feet were making.

  “But what about our dinos?” Chopsticks asked. “Do you remember how much time we’ve invested into the three dinos they stole? Herbivores are such a pain in the ass to train. And unless you’ve forgotten, they’ve also got our auger and all that fuel, along with the rest of our mining tools. We’re dead in the water unless we can get that all back. Besides, don’t you ever get tired of being the little guy?”

  “I guess you’re right. It’s difficult to make a living adventuring unless you know what you’re doing,” Max said.

  “...and the dinos?” Chopsticks said quietly.

  “Yeah, it’s not right taking another Crew’s dinos without a fair fight.” Max made a fist and ground it into his palm.

  “Exactly!”

  “And they’ve always taken advantage of us.”

  “And aren’t you just sick of it?” Chopsticks yelled.

  “I am!” Max proclaimed to the jungle. “Do you know what? Fuck those guys!”

  “Fuck those guys!” Chopsticks repeated. “We’re going to be the strongest Crew this world has ever seen! You know, I’m thinking of starting a recruitment campaign—”

  “Uh, Chopsticks?” Max cut him off, his legs suddenly feeling leaden.

  “Yeah?”

  “I think I’m stuck.” Max looked down at where his feet should be, instead seeing mud past his knees and rising.

  “Oh.” Chopsticks paused. “That’s not good. That’s not good at all.”

  “You’re telling me.” Max swayed from side to side, trying to turn himself around, but only succeeded in sinking another couple of inches. “Man, I’m so used to having a grappling hook or something and just being able to pull myself out using a tree.”

  “It’s
all good. We all know quicksand isn’t even that deadly. Due to the density of a human, you’ll only sink up to your waist,” Chopsticks said.

  “Right.” Max glanced at the trees surrounding him. “But that doesn’t help me if some hungry raptor comes my way.”

  “You’d better get yourself unstuck then. You remember the knack to it?” Chopsticks asked.

  “It’s been a while, but I think I’ll manage.” The mud was up to his thighs now. He could feel his legs becoming cold from the wet ground, and his blood supply being slowly cut off from the pressure of the thick slop.

  With his legs acting like anchors, he leaned backward, wincing when the cold ran up his body as he lay awkwardly on the clammy ground. Ignoring his steadily numbing body, he spread his weight out as wide as possible. He then began to wiggle his legs, feeling the sinking mud shift more and more. His breathing soon increased as he burned through his stamina trying to loosen his legs.

  “Come on, man, don’t stop now, you’re almost free,” Chopsticks urged.

  “I know. I just. Gotta take a breather.” Max panted, feeling the mud settling around his legs again. Pushing himself on, he began moving again, until finally with a squelch, one leg came free.

  Keeping his arms stretched out as much as possible, he began pushing himself backward using his legs, performing an awkward worm-like maneuver. Slowly, inch by inch, he moved backward.

  After a minute or so, Max could feel solid ground under his back. Pulling his arms back, he dragged himself out of the sinking mud, which sloughed off his clothes.

  Feeling suitably worn out, he got back onto his feet.

  “There we go, that wasn’t so bad!” Chopsticks said encouragingly.

  “Says the guy who wasn’t just wading through quicksand,” Max replied.

  “Come on, I’m just trying to fulfill my role as moral support.” Chopsticks laughed. “Imagine if you’d survived that whole thing with killer dinos, only to be grabbed by something while you were swimming in muck.”

  “Sam and Pez would have been so pissed if that had happened.” Max laughed, shaking off the remaining mud from his clothes.

  “No kidding.” Chopsticks chuckled. “Hey, it’s good to have you back in the fold, Max. Even if it is for nefarious purposes.”

  Max cracked a smile. “It’s good to be back. Not playing this week felt like the longest time of my life.”

  “Glad to hear it. Well, you’d best get a move on. I don’t want to be doing this all week.”

  Max grabbed his spear from his shoulder and made his way to the edge of the clearing while prodding the ground to make sure he didn’t fall back into quicksand. Once he was back on the firmer ground, held together by the twisting tree roots, he picked the pace back up.

  He couldn’t keep the smile off his face as he moved through the thickening undergrowth, feeling the green vegetation brush against him, the smell of damp soil, and the delicate fragrance of flowers in the air.

  It really was good to be back.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Max pulled his headset off, running his hand through his flattened hair.

  “Phew, what a workout.” Chopsticks wiped the back of his hand over his forehead.

  “Workout, my ass.” Max prodded Chopsticks in the side, who recoiled and batted him away. “Go get me some caffeine, I don’t care how it comes.” He waved his hand at the door. “And go check on Pez.”

  “Yes, boss.” Chopsticks shot up and saluted before heading for Pez’s door.

  Max sat up straight on the sofa and rolled his shoulders before rubbing the heel of his hands into his eyes. Pinpricks of light flashed across his eyelids, he was starting to hit a wall of fatigue.

  He shook his head. A couple of years ago, he and Chopsticks would have played through the night and the next day and still be buzzed with every kill and every conquest. But right now, he was about ready to kick Sam out of his bed and pass out.

  Great, he was turning into his parents at barely twenty-five.

  Chopsticks burst back into the room. “Okay, Pez is doing...Pez stuff. He said he’d get to you as soon as possible, but to keep going on your own for now.” Chopsticks waved an energy drink in Max’s direction that he must have stolen from Pez’s stash of snacks. “You said you didn’t care how it came.”

  “Thanks.” Max took the can of caffeine-laden sugar and pulled the ring. The satisfying fizz was followed by gulps as he downed the energy drink in one. “Oh, that hit the spot.” He swung his head around to look at Chopsticks. “How about some coffee, too?”

  “Death by caffeine overdose? How about I make you some toast instead?” Chopsticks backed out of the room while making a shooing action at Max. “Go, go, make the most of the buzz.”

  Max pulled the headset down over his eyes and let his vision adjust back to the vibrant green pallet of the endless jungle around him. He was still struggling to orientate himself, but it felt as though the ground was sloping up. If he could find a rocky outcrop or a hilltop, he could begin to form an idea of where he might be.

  For now, he was still pretty much walking blind. But as Sam had said, unless he had managed to turn himself around, he must be traveling in vaguely the right way.

  Max had left the Hub and the quicksand some way behind, the jungle now dense on all sides. As he got his character jogging once again, he wondered if his luck was beginning to turn finally. He hadn’t had any near-death experiences for a while, and aside from the scampering something and the occasional whatever, he’d had an uneventful journey for a while, which he wasn’t complaining about.

  He ran on alone with the life of the jungle and his own thoughts for a while, his breaths and footsteps forming a hypnotic rhythm as the jungle passed him by at a slow, but steady pace. Back in his tumultuous years when he first moved out of his parents’ house, he would often spend time performing menial tasks in Terra Verse to let his mind rest from the constant existentialism and worry about paying the bills, while doing something productive, at least to him.

  That was before the Coprolite Crew had pulled together and started making an income off Terra Verse. Perhaps all those long evenings going for a run in the vast plains and jungles of Primeva had been more useful than just meditation, providing some extra levels to Holic.

  “Food’s on the table,” Chopsticks’ voice cut across Max’s train of thought, jolting him back to the present.

  “You say food, but you and I both know that it’s just plain toast,” Max snorted.

  “Well, you know they say to eat bread to sober yourself up,” Chopsticks said.

  Max shook his head incredulously. “I don’t think I’ve even had two cans! And why don’t you ever butter toast?”

  “How do you—? Look, I can never get a good spread without tearing the bread up, all right? Besides, who even likes butter, it’s a weird texture,” Chopsticks’ voice had a blatant tone of disdain.

  “You’re a weird texture, Chopsticks. And considering you graduated top of your class, why do I not even have to be able to smell to know that it’s all just slightly too burnt to be ‘well done.’”

  “How does anyone time it right? It’s either warm bread or charcoal, we live in a world where we’re just about to launch a mission to Mars, but toasters still rely on skill? Fine, I’ll just retract my offerings and save myself from these attacks on my good character.”

  “It’s all right, dude.” Max laughed wearily. “You know we don’t keep you around for your cooking.” Max raised an arm to bat away a thick fern frond as he leaped over a tangle of plants.

  “Hmmm,” Chopsticks grumbled. “So, when are you going to climb a tree so we can actually see where you’re supposed to be going?”

  “With this character? Not for some time. Even that net of vines nearly killed me, and I didn’t even get that high.” Max slowed his pace so that he could talk without being too out of breath.

  “So, you’re just going to keep running?”

  Max came to a stop, scanning across the
sea of bright green. “I guess so? Unless you can come up with a better plan.”

  “I’m sure a genius like myself can come up with something. Wait, stop!” Chopsticks yelled. “Look back to your left.”

  Max instinctively lowered himself, grabbing his spear as he looked back. “What? Did something move?” He squinted, spotting dashes of dark purple grouped behind a stand of ferns.

  “That looks like Hunter’s Claw,” Chopsticks said.

  Max relaxed, letting his breath out. “Chopsticks, you’re going to give me a heart attack doing that. Good spot, though, I would’ve totally missed that.”

  “Just call me Hawkeye,” Chopsticks said with only a little smugness.

  Shouldering his spear once again, Max jogged toward what he could now see were the long-stemmed flowers of the Hunter’s Claw plant, one of the five Staples.

  The plants grew to around waist-high, the stem was thick, tapering toward the top. The thin leaves, interspersed with flowers, started about three-quarters up the stem and formed a spear-like shape toward the top.

  Crouching down next to one of the plants, Max reached his hand out and delicately plucked one of the flowers.

  Although he realized delicate was apparently not in his vocabulary at the moment as he fumbled and crushed the dark, oval-shaped petals as he pulled them from the plant.

  It wasn’t difficult to harvest most plants, but it did take a little care, as the game punished heavy-handedness by ruining anything harvested incorrectly, which would often make it useless.

  Which was exactly what the crushed petals were now.

  Item acquired: Ruined Hunter’s Claw

  Type: Flower, Staple

  Hunger value: 0.5

  Effect when eaten: None

  “Pffft,” Chopsticks sputtered as Max dropped the crumpled flower to the ground. “Come on, Max, picking flowers is going to be the easiest thing you’ve done today.”

  “I’m just used to doing this all without a second thought.” Max pinched the next bloom, and with a gentle tug, it came off the plant, the whole thimble-sized flower resting in the palm of his hand. He then tilted his head back and tossed the flower into his mouth, chewing the sweet, papery petals.