Your companion’s fire breathing did 675 damage to level 2 scavenger.
Experience received: +1 (to next level: 199).
Tailyn’s jaw dropped when he saw the bright, all-consuming fire leap out of his dragon’s mouth. It only lasted a second, but that was enough to turn the level two scavenger into a charred firebrand. The job done, Li-Ho-Dun wagged its tail to show how pleased it was with itself. The thing really was like a tiny dog.
The rest of the pack howled in terror and ran off, but their full stomachs made that harder than it usually was. Tailyn waited ten seconds before indicating the next target. Attack. The dragon flew off, and a message popped up a second later:
Experience received: +2 (to next level: 197).
The stream of fire had managed to catch two scavengers running right next to each other, and Tailyn just smiled. He’d realized how he was going to level-up his pet. The only problem was that he wasn’t able to pull the trick a third time — the creatures realized how easily they were being taken out and dashed off, their lives more important to them even than free meat.
While Li-Ho-Dun didn’t have a limit to its range, Tailyn still didn’t send it out to hunt. Instead, he held out his hand, summoned his companion, and watched as it wrapped itself around his wrist. But the boy no longer had any qualms about wearing jewelry that looked like it had been made for a girl. He’d seen the kind of value his legendary companion brought to the table.
That just left one thing: touching the guard’s corpse. Perhaps, there was something there left over from Sloan.
Active Marauder attribute detected. Analyzing body…
Loot received:
Location maps: Mean Truk (including brochure), General Isr Kale’s tomb, path between the locations.
Mission Description recording.
***
City mayor speaking. I made the decision to take a golem from Isr Kale’s tomb. The steppe is starting to generate terrifying monsters here to destroy Mean Truk, and I can’t let that happen. The golem was assigned to protect the city at all costs, including its own life. I need to give the people hope — the elections are coming up.
Tailyn looked around sadly at what remained of Mean Truk. The guard hadn’t been up to the task and had instead turned into a wild monster itself. But the location map was blinking to get his attention, and the boy pulled it up, staring at a detailed description of what was once a great and beautiful city. There were even pictures — buildings made of glass and metal soared into the sky, machines carried people through the air, and the people themselves were dressed in strange clothing. It was all so foreign and odd that the boy’s eyes were as wide as saucers. He never could have imagined he’d ever get the chance to see how the ancients had lived. But that wasn’t the most important thing. Zooming out, the boy saw that the snow-white haze was broken by a curved line ending in a green circle. His perception quickly changed the label from Isr Kane’s Tomb to Forest of Desire.
Suddenly, he knew what to do next. If Valanil and Valia were able to escape the lixes’ clutches, that was great, and they’d be able to change the group name to tell him where to find them. But if not, he needed to help them. A quick estimate told him it was going to take a couple days to get to his objective. And it wasn’t going to be easy, but that was fine. Tailyn wasn’t about to give up on the pair.
* * *
“Commander, she leveled-up again! The girl, too!” Zaril yelled, having been assigned to Valanil. Berad had given him orders to keep an eye on the woman, and so he noticed the changes immediately.
The detachment leader just glowered at the prisoners. A couple minutes before, Sloan’s frame had grayed out, the rest of his team having gone before him. Berad had believed to the last that his lucky second-in-command would find a way out, but it hadn’t happened. And three levels again… The boy was at his tricks once more.
“Sleeping potion,” he barked quickly. “Keep them unconscious until the end of the trip.”
The woman’s eyes widened in horror, but it was too late. With no personal shields or clothes, and her hands and feet tied together, she couldn’t fight back. The lotus pollen hit her nose. A second later, she went limp, falling into the land of dreams. Valia followed her a few moments later.
“What do you need us for?” Berad asked the air around him without much hoping for an answer. For the second day in a row, the detachment was moving alongside the prisoners the black lixes had with them. Halas had given orders that he wanted whoever had gotten their hands on Valia to stand before him personally. That drove the crystal fence crazy, but there was nothing he could do about it — getting into a feud with Halas would have cut off access to all the locations he worked in. Unwilling to find other markets where he could sell off slaves for crystals, Berad went along with the caravan, hoping against hope they were in for a reward rather than a curse.
“Commander, one of the blacks is asking for you!” Zaril called over. “He says we’re supposed to make a detour and check out some wasteland or other. Halas’ orders!”
Chapter 8
Experience received: +1 (to next level: 42).
LI-HO-DUN wagged its tail in greeting as Tailyn walked over to the grasshopper’s charred corpse. The little jumpers didn’t come with any loot, but they were perfect for working the boy’s companion through its first level, something he’d figured out by chance. As he’d stopped for a break in the shade of a leafy tree, he’d noticed a fat caterpillar sitting on one of the branches. The first thing he wanted to do was squish the nasty thing, the second was to leave it alone, and the third was to feed it to his pet. Tailyn didn’t know what his dragon ate or even if it ate at all, so he decided to check. Instead of giving the attack command, he went with eat it, figuring that Li-Ho-Dun would just do nothing if it wasn’t interested.
And that was exactly what happened. The dragon shook its tail resentfully and didn’t make a single move in the direction of the caterpillar.
“Okay, then attack,” Tailyn said with a sigh, watching the stream of fire cut loose. But what happened next turned his plans upside-down. The god told him his pet had picked up a point of experience.
At that point, his pace slowed to a walk that better facilitated the genocide he brought down on the local insects. Every thirty seconds, the happy dragon found another one, and they didn’t even try to run. None of them suspected they were being hunted. Tailyn’s perception highlighted dozens if not hundreds of the creatures, making the next level a matter of time. Getting Li-Ho-Dun to level two was key, maybe even to level three. It was unusual, but there were some level two grasshoppers here and there.
The big moment arrived with such little fanfare that Tailyn was even disappointed. There was no white light shining down on his companion, and it didn’t even get any bigger. A message just popped up after Li-Ho-Dun got done with another insect. However, just reading it was enough to rid the boy of his disappointment:
Your companion reached level 2. 300 experience until next level.
Select one of three development paths for your companion.
Think twice before making your selection. Once you choose, the other two paths will no longer be available.
Defender. Description: your companion is a shield who takes on most of your enemies’ attacks and draws attention away at critical moments. It has heightened durability, a better personal shield, and auras that reduce damage.
Berserker. Description: your companion is a close-combat fighter, rushing into the heart of the action to destroy your enemies with its tail, teeth, and magic. It has heightened Strength, Agility, and attack speed, not to mention auras that do additional damage.
Mage. Description: your companion fights from range, using a variety of magic to attack your enemies. It completely compensates for weak defenses with an attack capable of overcoming the most powerful of defenses. It has heightened mana, improved magic strength, and auras that boost magic.
The three buttons filled Tailyn’s field of vision and refused t
o leave until he made a choice. He was in no hurry, however, as he was too busy berating himself for not finishing Valia’s book. It had to have an explanation for which path was best for which situation. But in the absence of help, he was going to have to just rely on the vague ideas he had.
The berserker idea was tossed out immediately. The boy’s dragon card only had four charges left, and sending his companion right at the enemy didn’t seem like the greatest idea. Some toothy beast would snap it in half, knocking off one of the charges just like that. And that left the defender and mage paths.
Tailyn thought for a while. Both seemed like good options — having an especially hardy companion gave him some kind of guarantee that he’d make it out of tough situations alive. The added damage, on the other hand, would help him take out strong opponents, the two of them together becoming an unstoppable force.
At least, if the enemy wasn’t immune to magic. There was the Nemean lion, for instance.
The berserker option was suddenly back on the table, and Tailyn was lost. If he went with the mage path, the Nemean lion would chow down Li-Ho-Dun before moving on to Tailyn as the main course. It wouldn’t even break a sweat. But if he went with the defender path… Well, then the lion would have to chew a little more, but it would still enjoy its meal. And the berserker… In that case, the boy’s companion would be able to put up a fight.
But what were the chances of coming across the Nemean lion again? Almost nil. Valanil had mentioned something about cards like that only having a few charges, and Tailyn was planning on staying well away from Halas for the near future. As soon as the herbalist and Valia were free, they were heading home to Culmart. The academy would be six months later, and Halas and the lion definitely wouldn’t be able to break in there. Although… Valanil had done a good job showing him that mages weren’t all-powerful. A few potions, and all they could do was grind their teeth in frustration. That meant the mage option was no good, as was the berserker.
Only one option remained. And it was the one Tailyn had had his eye on from the beginning. The boy could already use his magic, and he was going to learn how to use his staff and dagger with time, but that still left his defenses lacking. They were non-existent, really. And that did it.
Development path chosen: defender.
Your companion unlocked new abilities at level 2:
Tough bones (passive ability). Description: your companion’s body is tougher and more resistant to all types of damage, its shield level 10 times higher than the standard. Its body is also more flexible and less prone to damage from impacts caught by its shield.
Protective aura (passive ability). Description: while your companion is near you or your group (no more than 100 meters away), all damage taken is reduced by [companion level]% but no more than 80%.
The dragon froze in midair and began growing. Thick scales appeared, a protective plate sprouted, and Li-Ho-Dun itself turned into a thick and hardened if short snake no longer than a meter. And when the dragon came back to life, it wasn’t wagging its tail anymore. No, it was a serious companion prepared to fight for its master. Next to the control panel, Tailyn noticed a new icon depicting a shield catching an arrow. It didn’t offer massive protection, but it was something, and it was going to be especially helpful if the boy could get his companion up to level eighty. At that point, it would take some doing to even touch Tailyn.
But there was bad news, too: the time between dragon attacks had climbed to twenty seconds. Sure, the creature could breathe fire for two whole seconds, doing incredible amounts of damage, but it was out of the action for a third of a minute afterwards. Something needed to be done about that, only Tailyn didn’t know what. He was going to have to ask Valanil or Forian when he had the chance.
The boy’s perception adjusted to the changes and began only pointing out insects that had reached level two. There weren’t many of them, which made it a disappointment that Li-Ho-Dun didn’t get any experience from level one targets. Obviously, Tailyn made sure of that, sending his companion in to take out an entire nest of wasps, but all he got out of that was a bunch of corpses.
Over that first day, Tailyn only covered a third of the distance he’d been aiming for. Too much time was spent running around looking for targets for his dragon.
Experience received: +1 (to next level: 233).
The sun had just barely reached the horizon when Tailyn decided he’d had enough. The area was bereft of level two creatures, meaning he was just wasting time. Noticing an enormous tree sprouting up right in the middle of the steppe, the boy decided to spend the night in it, especially as the ruins of an ancient city were a bit off to the side. He had no desire to come across another guard. The tree was perfect.
Despite its new size, Li-Ho-Dun easily turned into a shimmering bracelet, finding its usual place on the boy’s wrist. The good news there was that the protective aura remained active. Tailyn climbed up to the top of the tree, found a nice little niche between some branches and the trunk, and made himself comfortable. After arranging the leaves to make sure he couldn’t be seen from below, he quickly fell asleep. It had been a long day. But the boy wasn’t in for a good night’s sleep — chaos below woke him back up right before sunset. Sitting up, he spent some time staring in confusion at the red bodies running around below, fragments of their conversations drifting up to him. But it was only when someone mentioned the word Halas that his drowsiness was instantly wiped away.
Lixes.
“Commander, the protective barrier is up!” a human voice called, and Tailyn pressed himself against the branches, afraid to so much as breathe. He recognized the voice instantly — it was Zaril, one of Berad’s fighters. The crystal fence himself was there, too.
“Excellent. Everyone, gather up!”
The rest of the team began to cluster around the tree. Besides Berad, there were just seven left, though they still represented an impressive force.
“The black lix just mentioned what we’re doing here. See that city? Our job is to escort Halas’ advisor to the local temple or whatever’s left of it. He’ll cut up the mages there, and we’ll be free to head to the Forest of Desire, hand over the girl, get our reward, and go pick up the next batch of slaves. Questions?”
“It’s going to be tough without Sloan,” one of the fighters said. “He had the best scanner.”
“That wasn’t a question,” Berad shot back. “Sloan is gone, and we’re still here. Zaril, you’re our eyes now, so get ready. I’m pulling you off ditch-digging.”
“Do we know who’s over in the ruins?” asked the next fighter.
“Nope. The reds swear there isn’t anyone, that they’ve been through them time and again, but I don’t trust the bastards. We’ll be ready for the worst. Okay, get some rest! Tomorrow’s going to be a long day.”
Tailyn’s wave of fire card popped up, telling him it was ready to go, but he couldn’t use it — Valanil and Valia were somewhere nearby. The boy’s breathing quickened, though he was able to quell the nerves before they gave him away. As the crystal fences headed off to their tents, the enormous crowd disappeared, turning into bare earth. They’d turned the protective barrier on. But what really worried Tailyn was that he couldn’t see anything with his scanner despite the fact that he knew exactly where everyone was. Where was he supposed to shot? It was tricky.
Night fell, but Tailyn was in no hurry to climb down from the tree. He remembered all too well what had happened the last time — Sloan was perfectly fine wandering around outside the barrier. And while he was gone, Berad definitely had others capable of hiding in the darkness. Presumably, the group wanted to know who they’d be dealing with in the city, and it was easier to figure that out at night when the creatures all popped out of their holes. That was why the boy sat patiently on his branch rather than running in to help Valia.
Loot division type selected for Valanil, can you get out of your ropes? I have an idea group: everyone on their own.
Valanil Revolt invited Kera
n Tisor to join the group.
Valanil: Tailyn, we have a problem. Valia’s unconscious. They got me, too, but my regeneration helped.
Valanil: They’re going to kill us in the morning, so we have to run now. I’m taking the healer — he’ll carry Valia.
Valanil: We’re going to head for the Forest of Desire. It’s our only chance. See you there.
One more person in the group. Presumably, another of the mages the lixes had captured.
Suddenly, it hit Tailyn why the new group member’s name sounded so familiar. Keran Tisor was a healer mage at level twenty-seven and the partner of Forian Tarn, the boy’s mentor. A year ago, they’d set off for the Gray Lands, and he hadn’t heard from them since. But there was Keran. Alone. Where was Forian? The boy’s excitement grew to the point that he made a false move — a branch snapped below him.
“Did you hear that noise? Where did it come from?” someone whispered from down below. Tailyn froze.
“Birds,” a second voice replied. “Can you see anything?”
Forest of Desire (The Alchemist Book #2): LitRPG Series Page 11
