by Aaron Oster
Arthur stared at the small frog, who was now gesticulating with his padded fingers, seeming irritated.
“It’s fine. I don’t care if you have friends or not,” he said with a shrug. “I was just wondering if there was a settlement nearby.”
“Yup. There’s an ani-human village about a day’s walk that way,” Hopps said, motioning behind him to the thick foliage.
Well, that’s a relief.
Arthur had been worried that he’d never find a settlement. Now that he had a direction and a traveling companion, his chances of survival had skyrocketed. It made almost dying just now worth it. Well, kind of.
“So, tell me, Hopps, are you from that village? And if so, what are you doing out here?” Arthur asked, rising to his feet and walking over to examine the centipede corpse.
Maybe he could find something useful on it.
“I am from the village, but I was frognapped. Blasted human poachers caught me in the pond on the outskirts. No one even knows I’m gone.”
“Really?”
Arthur looked up from his examination of the centipede’s mandibles to look at the small frog.
“How did you manage to escape?”
Hopps waved his front leg, as though it wasn’t such a big deal.
“A Feline patrol attacked the poachers and I managed to escape. Honestly, I’m lucky that I was able to. While the humans would have sold me off, the Felines probably would have eaten me.”
“And how long ago was this?” Arthur asked, now becoming worried.
“Oh, probably about four hours ago.”
Arthur cursed when he heard that.
If Hopps had only escaped four hours ago, that meant that there could still be enemies nearby. And not the ones he’d want to run into right now. Wrapping his hands around both the centipede’s mandibles, he gave a sharp yank, cracking them off.
One shattered completely, leaving him holding nothing but a fragment of chiton, but the other stayed thankfully intact.
“Come on,” he said, turning in the direction of the village. “We’ve gotta get out of here. Now.”
“Right you are, mate. Wouldn’t want to wait around for scavengers to come for the carcass,” the frog said in a chipper voice.
Then, in a single fluid motion, he hopped from the ground onto his shoulder.
“Away we go!”
Despite the dire situation, Arthur couldn’t help but smile. There was just something about the small frog that made him laugh. Taking one last look around the clearing, Arthur took off into the trees, trying to be as stealthy as possible.
4
“So, exactly what part of the Animal Kingdom are we in?” Arthur asked as he pushed his way through the thick undergrowth.
He already thought he knew, judging by the mob they’d just fought, but he wanted to make sure.
“The loveliest place to call home,” Hopps answered with a sigh. “The Amazonian Rainforest.”
Arthur felt his shoulders slump at the confirmation. Out of all the starter zones he could have ended up in, it would be just his luck to end up in the most dangerous zone the Animal Kingdom would have to offer.
The game he’d known had been set up in zones of difficulty. This way, those looking for a tamer and more relaxed experience could enjoy as much as the hardcore gamers. It was no wonder the mob he’d fought had been so tough. In this part of the Animal Kingdom, the difficulty was set to the maximum, with mobs hitting harder, taking less damage, and having a more extensive range of attacks.
“So, mate, where are you from? Never seen your kind around here before.”
Arthur was snapped from his thoughts as Hopps continued their conversation. He wasn’t sure how to answer the frog’s question. How much could he tell him?
“I’m not from here,” Arthur said carefully.
“A traveler then? Right on, mate! Never met one of you blokes before. What’s it like out there?”
Arthur was, understandably, dumbfounded. How did this frog have any understanding of a world outside their own? Then again, this entire situation was so messed up that talking frogs that knew about life outside of the Animal Kingdom shouldn’t have come as a surprise.
“Eh, about the same as here,” Arthur said with a shrug. “What kind of village are we going to? Is it full of frogs like you?”
“Nah. It’s full of all sorts. A mix of ani-humans and Intelligents.”
“Intelligents?”
Arthur had never heard this game term before.
“Yeah, Intelligents. Animals, like myself, which the gods and goddesses have blessed with smarts.”
Arthur filed that bit of information away. Fights with mobs could be exponentially harder if they were one of these Intelligents. It could make a difficult fight, damn near impossible.
A loud yawn from near his ear caught his attention, and he turned to gaze at the small frog out of the corner of his eye.
“Sorry, mate. I haven’t gotten a lot of sleep since I was frognapped. Mind if I grab a quick nap?”
“Not at all,” Arthur replied.
He could scarcely imagine the ordeal this small frog had gone through. And judging by the way he talked, he didn’t have many friends back home. Somehow the frog seemed to be in a perpetually good mood despite all that. Arthur envied him.
“Awesome. Just wake me up if you get lost. I know this forest like the tip of my tongue.”
Before Arthur could ask about that odd turn of phrase, the small frog’s body relaxed, and the air sack under his mouth began inflating and deflating in a steady rhythm.
Arthur just shook his head in amazement at the small amphibian. He wished falling asleep would be that easy for him. Blowing out a long breath, Arthur decided to take the time to assign his attribute points and check out the skill and ability he’d been offered.
In all honesty, he was curious about them. Ridiculous names aside, he had to wonder what the differences between the two could be. They both sounded like fighting skills based on unarmed combat. Opening his status, while making sure he could still see where he was going, he read them both over.
Tae-Frog-Do
It looks like you learned to use your legs for something other than jumping.
Ability Level: 1
Cost: 15 Stamina
Cooldown: 10 Seconds
Damage: ½ of Base Agility per kick
Effect: Use your legs to deliver a powerful double kick
Unarmed Frog-Bat
Who needs a weapon? Not you!
Skill Type: Combat
Skill Level: 1
Effect: +10% Damage to all attacks made without a weapon
Arthur read the two over carefully. It seemed that the first was an actual attack, while the second would boost his attack power. Separately, they weren’t too special, but together they could work. The only question was if he should take them or not. He’d be limited to 8 skills and abilities. Would he be fighting unarmed often enough to warrant these skills?
Well, that would depend on the type of character he’d be creating. As far as he could tell, his character wouldn’t be suited to swinging around heavy weapons or wearing heavy armor. He wasn’t the caster type either, though he would be able to use a few mana-based abilities. Just from the last fight, he could already see that his character’s greatest strength was mobility.
He was agile, light, and had powerful legs that could carry him great distances. His character could probably do with a knife or dagger, but supplementing dagger-wielding with hand to hand fighting would give him options. If he looked at it from that angle, not taking these two skills would be a bad idea. His mind made up, Arthur accepted both, adding them to his status.
Next, he looked over his attributes. He definitely needed more health, but raising his Agility and Endurance would be necessary, too. Then again, he’d gotten 1 of each after defeating the centipede, so maybe he could add less to each? After a few minutes of debating, he finally made his decision and assigned the AP. Then, he looked ove
r his status to see how he was progressing.
Character Status
Name: Arthur
Race: Humanoid - Poison Frog
Class: None
Level: 3
XP: 150/700
AP: 0
Survivability
HP: 70/70
MP: 70/70
STA: 150/150
Armor Rating: 0
Attributes
Strength - 4
Constitution - 7 (+3)
Endurance - 15 (+3)
Agility - 16 (+4)
Intelligence - 7
Wisdom - 6
Charisma - 8
Luck - 5
Skills
1/8
Unarmed Frog-Bat: Level 1
Abilities
1/8
Tae-Frog-Do: Level 1
Racial Bonus
Poison Touch: Tier 1
Spring: Tier 1
Happy with how he was progressing, Arthur closed his status and looked down to the centipede mandible he still held, clutched in his right hand. It was an ugly thing. Nearly eight inches long, it was slightly curved and serrated along the inside edge. Looking closer, he could also make out the slightest hint of green on the tips of the serrations. It stood out against the dark red of the mandible, and Arthur wondered if this could be used as a weapon. Opening its properties, he examined the mandible.
Item Found!
Name: Centipede’s Mandible
Durability: 45/45
Rarity: Rare
Type: Crafting material
Uses: Can be used in the crafting of weapons
Item Rarity
All items in Animal Kingdom Online will have a rarity rating. The rating will both signify the item’s value and its power. The rarer an item is, the more valuable and the more powerful it is.
Item rarity from worst to best is Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Legendary, Kingly, Ancient, Beastly.
Arthur grinned at his good fortune. In all honesty, he was lucky that he’d been able to salvage even this from the centipede without some sort of carving or harvesting skill. And for it to be a Rare drop was the icing on top of the cake. Now all he needed to do was find a crafter capable of turning this into a weapon. He had a feeling that this would make a perfect dagger.
Sliding the mandible into his belt, Arthur began examining his surroundings, trying to spot anything out of place. There was a specific skill he was trying to trigger with his actions, and it would be one that would give him a better chance at survival. Finally, after what felt like hours of walking and staring, the notification popped up.
Skill Available!
Due to your repeated actions, a new skill has become available to you.
Perception
Arthur cheered silently, not wishing to wake Hopps, and accepted the skill, looking over the description before adding it to his status.
Perception
You notice things that others do not. Aren’t you just a creeper?
Skill Type: Sensory
Skill Level: 1
Effect: You can notice hidden details that others might miss.
As soon as the skill was accepted, his hearing sharpened, his vision got a bit better, and his sense of touch and even smell increased. It wasn’t a huge difference, but he knew that at higher levels, the skill would be invaluable. But the enhancement was only for the long term, and right now, he was interested in the immediate gains.
The world lit up around him, as previously hidden details were now outlined in blue. They were mostly plants, but after about a minute of walking, he found what he’d been afraid of. Footprints.
He crouched, examining the prints. They were narrow with no distinct toe or claw imprints. There was a distinct heel imprinted deep into the sodden ground. He would have missed them before, as they’d filled with water and muck. In the gloom, it would have been impossible to spot them.
“Hey, Hopps, get up,” Arthur said in a low voice, his eyes flicking forward, following the glowing footprints.
“Huh! Wha’s goin’ on?” the frog asked, and not in a quiet voice.
“Keep it down!” Arthur hissed. “I’ve found some tracks, and I think they’re human. Did the Feline patrol kill all the poachers?”
“No idea,” the frog said with a wide yawn. “ It could very well be that some of the poachers got away, though I wouldn’t count on it.”
“All the same, it’s best if we proceed with more caution. Is there any other way to the village?”
Arthur could feel Hopps shifting around on his shoulder, looking around at their surroundings.
“Sorry, mate. The next fastest way would take us another two days.”
Arthur bit his lip in indecision. They could take the detour and risk running into even more danger, or they could continue walking towards certain danger. Finally, he shrugged. Better to face the enemy he knew rather than the unknown. He just hoped the humans were gone.
From previous experience in the game, he knew that full-blooded humans didn’t look favorably on ani-humans like himself. They would probably view Hopps as even less. If he ran into them, there would undoubtedly be bloodshed.
He couldn’t tell how old the footprints were, as it had been raining all day. Even the prints he’d made a few minutes before were already being covered up. These couldn’t be more than a few hours old though, as the rain would have washed them away. He knew he had to proceed with the utmost caution.
“So, what’ll it be, mate? We going straight or the roundabout way?”
“Straight. Just keep your eyes peeled. I’ve got a feeling that we’ll be facing off with whoever left these footprints, whether we want to or not.”
Arthur was right, of course. Just like the game he once knew, the world seemed to want you to meet enemies around every corner. They hadn’t been walking for more than fifteen minutes when Arthur picked up the distinct sounds of clinking armor and low chatter.
Freezing in place, he listened, trying to pinpoint where the voices were coming from
“Hear something?” Hopps asked, this time having the wisdom to keep his voice down.
Arthur held a finger up to his lips, motioning up ahead and to his right. As best he could tell, that was where the sounds were coming from. It seemed that the humans had gone off the path to seek shelter. They would be ill-suited to the environment, and their clothes were probably drenched by now.
An upside of being an amphibious creature was that water didn’t bother him in the slightest. He quite liked the feeling of the warm rain falling on his skin. It was oddly pleasant. Humans, on the other hand, would be miserable here. Which begged the question, why had they even come here?
As far as he knew, humans tended to stick to the more hospitable parts of the Animal Kingdom. Had whoever trapped them here messed with the normal NPC behavior?
Regardless, this presented him with a unique opportunity. He’d been scared that he’d have to face the humans. But if they’d taken shelter, perhaps he could sneak past without having to so much as lay eyes on them.
Crouching, Arthur slunk forward, his broad, flipper-like feet hardly making a sound on the sodden ground. He swiped aside the notification telling him that he’d unlocked Stealth. He would come back to that later. For now, Arthur was working on slinking noiselessly past the camp.
Arthur caught the barest hint of the men as he and Hopps crossed right before their camp. To his benefit, the poachers were facing away from the path, hunkered down under makeshift tents. He was about to breathe a sigh of relief when an angry exclamation sounded from right near his ear.
“Hey! Those are the bloody wankers who frognapped me! Let’s kill them!”
Quest Available: Froggy Vengeance
Jeremy Hopps Croaksalot has requested your aid in killing those who frognapped him. Will you help?
Objective: Kill the human poachers
Failure: Fail to kill all the poachers, Jeremy Hopps Croaksalot dies
Difficulty: C
> Rewards: 1,500 XP, 50 Silver Coins, Variable
Will you accept?
Yes/No
“Ey! What was that?”
Arthur suddenly found himself facing the angry gazes of three bedraggled and filthy looking human men.
“Damn it, Hopps! Are you trying to get us killed?” Arthur groaned.
5
“What’s a filthy animal banger doing here?” the man closest to them said, glaring at the two of them.
Humans in the Animal Kingdom looked down on ani-humans, calling them children of bestiality and the devil. It wasn’t true, of course, but it made them feel better about treating them like animals if they convinced themselves that it was.
“Oy! He’s got our runaway freak!” another exclaimed as his eyes landed on Hopps.
Oh well, Arthur thought in resignation, accepting the quest. Just by the way the men were speaking, it was abundantly obvious to him that they weren’t going to let them go peacefully. Better to strike preemptively, he thought. He hoped the shock factor would provide him with some advantage.
He quickly scanned the guards, noting that they were all level 3.
“You’d better be able to keep me alive!” Arthur threatened, before launching himself at the first guard, while using Spring.
Hopps leaped from Arthur’s shoulder as soon as he rocketed forward, landing neatly on the ground. Arthur bodily slammed into the man, whacking him across the face to use his Poison Touch. He quickly followed up by using his Tae-Frog-Do, slamming the guard for another 8 points of damage as his legs lashed out.
The entire sequence happened in the span of a handful of seconds and sent the first man sprawling, knocking his HP down by 20%. The damage-over-time effect began immediately sapping at his health as he flipped back, darting toward the man to his right, who was only now fumbling with a sword strapped to his side.
Arthur could feel his pulse pounding in his temples as he lashed out with a punch, inflicting -2 damage and staggering the man. He then used his Poison Touch, just as the cooldown wore off. Spinning in place, Arthur was just in time to catch the sword of the third guard in his gut.
