by Elian Tars
The second point I made from a Shard that I took from our deserted camp in the forest, and hid it not far from my new home. The third one was with Berg.
Entering the realm of Darkness, I chose the fourth point — The Shard of the Batta’s Gravestone. I thought about another point, for I wanted to fill one more Shard with Rebirth Energy and either leave it in Urhon or give it to Tiara or even the duke. I pushed those crazy thoughts away, remembering how easily Aerida found my resurrection points. The Gods might be able to do the same thing. Tiara could easily find me at any moment and kill me, so there was no need in aiding her in that endeavor. As for my father-in-law — Guer-Shui could change his mind about our alliance.
Various thoughts flashed through my head like lightning, and I had to push them away. The Darkness swirled around me. I was ready to take my weapon out of my inventory at any moment…
When the world regained its material form that was precisely what I had to do.
“Grrr!!!” Vella roared angrily and lowered her upper body. Clenching the shaft of the trishula, I glanced around. We found ourselves in a moist cave that about hundred feet in diameter. We were standing on a low hill; light seeped in from a tunnel in the opposite wall.
“Hu-man?” croaked a five-foot tall creature that was standing still right in front of us.
Judging by a pair of saggy breasts covered with fur that were resting on a ball-shaped belly, the resident of the cave was a woman. Her thin legs, like matches, ended with three-toed, wide feet, and in her big, three-fingered hands she held a staff, the top of which was adorned with a couple of mouse skulls. She had coarse, dark-grey skin. Her body was non-proportional and looked like two bulbous onions placed atop one another: the bigger one was her body and the smaller one was her chubby head with giant lips (the lower one had a disk-like piercing in it), a hooknose, and green eyes with vertical pupils. The onion’s “leaves” were her black hair, gathered into a bun on the back of her head.
Lao Ri, The Matriarch of the Frogoids
Level 101
HP: 3,875/3,875
At first, I thought there was no one else in the cave apart from her, but then I heard someone’s voice. It sounded like a baby’s cry coming through a pipe or recorded on a tape and played back twice as slow.
“Woo…aaa… Wooo….aaa…”
Had I heard something like that in my world, my hair would’ve turned white from fear, but here, it barely phased me, just made me look around. The Matriarch became very worried when my gaze went over the fur cocoons that were placed along the walls and which I had mistaken for rolled-up hides. The crying died down soon as she waved her staff.
“Hu-man…” she repeated. Sniffing the air, she bent her neck and got closer to me. “Wizard… of the Aa-ancie-ent… Ho-o-o-w? Wha-a-at do-o-o you-u-u-u ne-e-e-e-d he-e-e-re?!” Lao Ri flinched. She stepped back and growled, revealing a row of yellow teeth.
“I wouldn’t anger the Frogoids if I were you,” spoke a tormented, but kind of familiar voice as if from below. “Sometimes they eat people.”
Turning to the side, I saw a man hanging upside down, hands and legs tied with thick vines. Damn, what an encounter!
Gloomy Bon
Level 85
HP: 971/4,150
Chapter 22
The Island
As far as I knew, there was only one person, aside from me, who went by that name. He was of about the same level as before, give or take a level or two; he could’ve leveled up since then.
But how did he manage to become the Matriarch’s prisoner, in a cave on one of the numerous islands of the archipelago?
What the hell was going on here?
The man in front of me was without a doubt my old friend, Tael the Handsome, with whom I had set free the heir of Nelburg from the prison in Trikuni. That was when he named himself “Gloomy Bon.” I wondered why he kept the name. Did he grow to like it?
But he had changed his clothes. When we first met, he was an archer-ranger; the second time we met, when he became Bon, he looked like an assassin, wearing a mask and a black, slim-fit jacket, but now he looked like a vagabond, dressed in a brown leather jacket with thick patches, comfortable dark pants, and a sand-colored cloak.
“Have we met?” Tael said, trying to get a better look of my face. He was hanging at a very odd angle, so it was no surprise that he couldn’t recognize me. “You’re such a creep… I would’ve definitely remembered you…”
I didn’t have a chance to answer — the Matriarch’s roar sounded louder.
“Lao Ri, I mean no harm. I come in peace, led by the voice of the Ancient,” I blurted out, turning to face her.
She roared again and then fell silent, cocking her head to the side in distrust. She didn’t seem willing to fight Vella and me. Why else would she, being able to feel the energy of the Ancient, bring a shard of my gravestone to her cave and put it on a stone pedestal?
“The… Ancient… betra-a-y-ed… u-u-us,” she said, looking me in the eyes.
“May I know why?” I asked, slowly beginning to dismount. She didn’t seem to mind.
“Be-because… of... their…. weak… ness… and faith… in the… ones… like you-u-u-u!” She bared her teeth again and growled, pointing her staff at me.
“Grrrr!!!” Vella was ready to jump. I outstretched my arm just in time.
“Easy,” I said, putting my hand on her scruff. “We come in peace,” I said word by word. “Lao Ri! I don’t know what the Ancient did to offend you, but I came here on their behest. You’ve been waiting for me, haven’t you? Otherwise, why would you keep my shard? Don’t tell me that you hate the Ancient. If that was true, you would’ve thrown the shard into the sea.”
Lao Ri growled and panted, yellow gaze never moving off me. A baby cried again, then another one, and another, and another, as if they all felt her foul mood.
Suddenly, she waved her staff. I got ready for a fight, but it didn’t happen — Lao Ri just calmed down her kids again. She shook her head and snorted like a horse.
“Do… you… want… to… prove…? Your… friend… ship?”
For a second, I was taken aback by her sudden question. I suspected the God of Darkness knew where I’d end up as he knew my abilities well. I supposed that he could see what was going on around my resurrection point. Then again, if that was true, he could’ve told me that it was Aerida who destroyed my first two resurrection points — the grave and the tomb. Then again, he was weaker back then; perhaps he got this ability only recently.
But now he was silent. Letting me lead this conversation on my own, he was showing that he’s satisfied with my actions. Maybe he was giving me a chance to get some new information. And although I was thankful, this could’ve been easier if he had just told me everything himself.
“It depends on what I have to do,” I answered calmly.
“Help… us… in… the fight…. My… war-riors… are… figh… ting… with… crea… tures… that… were not… here… when… the… An-cient… were…”
Attention!
Quest available:“A Friend of the Frogoids”
Help Lao Ri’s clan in the fight.
Quest giver: Lao Ri, Matriarch of the Frogoids
Reward: XP, and maybe something more
Her drawling, croaking manner of speech was even more annoying than talking to the Tree Frogs. I could understand their inability to speak coherently — they were frogs after all, huge ones, but frogs nonetheless. But a Frogoid could easily be called a humanoid. Hypothetically speaking, it should’ve been easier to talk to it, but it was the other way round.
I had to make a decision.
The creatures that weren’t here when the Ancients were... Who was she talking about? The answer seemed obvious to me.
Lost in thought, I closed the quest menu, so that it didn’t hang in front of my eyes.
“You’re Bon, aren’t you?!” shouted a tired, but happy voice behind me. “Come on, tell me! You just got better clothes and became e
ven nastier! Well? How did you gain so much strength in such a short period of time? Where did you get the dog? Come on! You’re Bon, right?”
“Right,” I said without turning, deciding not to answer his previous questions.
The Matriarch looked disapprovingly at the man.
“Ask her to let me go! I’ll fight side by side with you if you want!”
“No!” Lao Ri snapped, staring at me again. “He… is… not… a Wizard…! He is… meat…”
“Still,” I sighed, “I wouldn’t want you to eat him. I’ll help your warriors, and we’ll become friends. And then you’ll do a favor for me as a friend — you’ll let this man go,” I said, accepting the quest.
Lao Ri’s lips stretched into a yellow-toothed smile.
“Deal…” Getting serious again, she stood half-turned and waved her staff to the left of the cave entrance. “You… will… go… there… The… fight… is…. there.”
I nodded. Without taking my eyes off her, I outstretched my arm to get the shard of my gravestone. She frowned, but didn’t stop me.
“Don’t forget to come back for me!” I heard Tael’s voice behind me. “I’ll return the favor! We can go together to Sautz afterwards — it’s not far from here! Girls and drinks will be on me!”
“Sorry, I’m married,” I replied, glancing sideways at him.
His entire face was crimson from hanging upside down for so long. So when he blinked in astonishment, it looked rather creepy. “You can have the girls,” I added, going toward the exit. “But I’ll think about the rest.”
I went past Lao Ri, mounted Vella, and we rushed to the tunnel. I had to practically hug her neck to avoid bumping the top of my head on the sharp ledges.
The bright sun made me squint. Having blinked a couple of times, I was able to take a look around: we were riding along a wide path, on both sides of which grew rich, green grass and tall palm trees. A vastness of yellow sand spread ahead, smoothly merging into the seemingly endless, blue sea.
Everything around seemed to perfect and beautiful. I felt like I found myself in some tropical paradise… But something bothered me. I sniffed the air and caught a faint smell of rotten fish that seemed to be coming from the direction of the battle.
“Let’s hurry,” I whispered to Vella, who barked happily and increased her speed.
I decided to hold off on waking Wing No. 1 and sending the shard to Sautz. The locals had too easily knocked down Bat No. 2. The coastal guards of this island would probably be more efficient. The last thing I wanted now was for some God to get hold of the shard.
Maybe I should bury it somewhere on the island before getting into the fight with an unknown enemy. If I’m killed, I’ll resurrect nearby. On the other hand, I could later teleport here with reinforcements…
In the end, I decided not to leave my resurrection point without protection. Anyone could find me through it, after all. If I get out of this fight in one piece and rescue Tael, I won’t have to return to this island.
What was Tael even doing here? According to his words, he was a mercenary. He must’ve been a pretty successful one, if he could use a diplomatic mission as an excuse to get into the town back in Trikuni. A common soldier of sword and coin wouldn’t have been entrusted with such a subtle business.
So how did he end up here? And in such a ridiculous position…
My train of thoughts was suddenly interrupted — we had been rushing along the shore for some time already and now, after turning, we saw… The decayed sea.
The stench was getting stronger and the sounds of fighting were getting louder — thuds, moans, cries, and clashing of claws all joined together into a deafening cacophony. Vella was fearlessly rushing forward, and I was peering into the distance.
The clash was happening some three hundred yards away from us: a few dozens of five-foot tall warriors with sticks and something that resembled spears were fighting against giant, dark-gray Crabs, some creatures that looked like crocodiles and Sea Serpents, which were, luckily, not as huge as the one from my vision. I was fully convinced that they were decayed sea creatures. Their appearance differed from their forest friends: Wolves, Bears, and Spiders were all acid-green in color, while these creatures were almost black.
Not only the creatures were different, but the surroundings, too. I clearly saw the black line that divided the sea in two. The water in there was muddy and covered with ooze. Black fog hung in the air like a curtain.
I stopped Vella to cast Tranquility on us and jumped again on her back. The gallop continued.
The distance between the fight and us was quickly diminishing. I could see the creatures better now. Some parts of their bodies were covered with black slime or rot, and disgusting black slush was dripping on the sand under their feet.
I asked the system about the enemy that was closest to me.
Small Sea Serpent Changed by Decay
Level: 32
HP: 187/1,345
“Grrrr!!!” Vella roared. With a single blow of her paw, she dropped the monster’s HP down to one point. She didn’t waste time on finishing off her enemy, leaving it to an astonished level fifty-three Frogoid, who had been fighting the decayed beast before our arrival.
“Friends! We’re on your side!!!” I shouted at the top of my lungs, jumping down on the sand and materializing my weapon. “Your Matriarch asked us to help you!”
A level forty-eight Crab got near me. Feeling the streams of energy inside me, I sent them through the shaft and prongs of my trishula and with a step forward hit the enemy with an upward strike.
Trident of Darkness.
The black smoke covered the blades of my weapon, easily piercing through the giant arthropod’s chest. The Crab jerked, croaked, and a moment later, three black pillars rushed out from its back, hitting the Decayed that were near it.
You have dealt 402 points of damage.
You have dealt 50 points of damage to the secondary target.
You have dealt 50 points of damage to the secondary target.
You have dealt 50 points of damage to the secondary target.
As soon as I pulled the trishula out of the Crab’s body, thinned out, black blood, as if diluted by muddy water, gushed out of its wound. I dodged it easily, but the acid in its body was so strong that the sand upon which it fell started to clump up. It was much more potent than the acid in the blood of the forest beasts.
Aura of Darkness.
Power strike.
You have dealt 300 points of damage.
Fighting face-to-face with an unintelligent enemy, inferior to you in all stats, was an easy thing. There seemed to be nothing interesting in it, but when I dealt those first two strikes, a satisfied smile appeared on my face. Damn it, I really missed fighting! It seemed like I hadn’t held a weapon in my hands for ages, though in fact it had been only five days. My last fight was with Lade, and before that, we fought in Ilyenta against Tsunter’s soldiers. Fighting humans didn’t bring as much joy as fighting decayed creatures did. Still, humans were intelligent. Yes, they were our enemy and we were in a cruel word, but my humanity and morality didn’t let me get pleasure from such a fight. Monsters were a different thing. They were brainless puppets, fulfilling the orders of their Mothers.
Vella and I immediately drew attention of the enemies, who outnumbered the Frogoids. Three monsters surrounded us; one arthropod, two Serpents, and a creature that looked like crocodile were already hurrying to help the Crab that I had just fought. Glancing at its long, black body that was no less than twenty feet long, I asked the system for information about our lizard friend.
Deep-water Croc Changed by Decay
Level 59
HP: 2,748/3,998
I managed to strike the wounded Crab with the trishula one more time. Pushing off the ground, I flew over it.
This was the first time I felt Lightness. I jumped without much effort before, but now my body seemed to have turned into a rapier. One attack was enough. My enemy was dead without e
ven noticing it.
Lightness definitely couldn’t be compared with the lightness of a feather that was slowly swaying in the wind.
I landed near the Croc and managed to hit it twice, dealing about 500 points of damage before the monster turned around and tried to get me with its deadly jaws. I jumped back, almost getting caught by the second Crab’s pincer, half-turned to the side…
Hold on, where are the “Serpents?”
As soon as I thought about it, the sand under my feet shuddered, and two huge Serpents (“small,” my ass) shot up from the ground like rockets.
My upgraded agility and Lightness saved me yet again. My reaction rate was just enough to dodge the attack.
But I lost my tempo and was confused for a moment. I noticed too late that the first Crab had gotten too close to me.
“Medium Sea Hermit Changed by Decay” used “Grip of the Claws of Decay.”
You have received 175 points of damage.
The “Effect of Decay” has been weakened. Your limbs will go numb for twenty seconds. Your strength and agility have been lowered by 30%.
The Crab held me by my right wrist. It hurt! Damn it, the bastard got me!
But it wasn’t a big deal.
Taking the trishula with my left hand, I bent forward and attacked twice — I didn’t kill it. Another Crab and a Croc were already hurrying to me from two sides.
“Deep-water Croc Changed by Decay” has fallen under the effect of your “Aura of Darkness.”
The most dangerous of my enemies slowed down abruptly. Great! I let the adrenaline overwhelm me and lost my head. That’s what happens when you seldom fight in a group and take too much upon yourself.
With two following strikes, I defeated the Crab and freed myself. I did it just in time, as the second Crab approached me. I jumped on its back.
