The idea that an established, and as far as he knew, at least relatively powerful Race had been backed into a corner and forced to sell off their entire planet due to a single Gods damned bee hive was like a Skill-empowered punch to Alan's gut. It certainly didn't bode well for the surface of Earth. Or, I guess, Terra… dammit! I need to make up my mind what I'm going to call it already. Gaea seemed to prefer the name Earth, and that's all it's ever been to me…
Setting the name of his Home-world aside, if the stories he'd been told about Earth's integration were to be believed, it was likely far too late. Not only had the world been seeded with enormous ships full of mythical, and most likely high level monsters, but those same beasts had been given ten years to spread out, and assimilate into their new environment.
Alan feared that the entire surface of the planet had been reduced to nothing more than a monster infested dumpster fire. If a single wasp, Empress or otherwise, could rapidly colonize, and eventually overtake almost an entire world, then Earth was fucked. The place was likely lorded over by Dragons and Titans. He felt his hopes begin to wilt. What were the odds that anything was even left to reclaim?
Even if the eradication of the Human Race had been what allowed the planet to heal, and instead of laying waste to the environment, the beasts had established a hierarchy all their own, where did that leave him?
Will I even be given a chance to fight back? Or will I be decapitated the moment I poke my head out of the Guadalupe River Dungeon?
“I'm sorry,” Alan blurted out, “but I've gotta ask. How did a single colony of wasps grow to the point that they became such a problem?“ He couldn't make sense of it. With access to Classes, Spells, and everything else, it just felt like swatting a bunch of pesky insects out of the sky, and then blowing up their hives would be something pretty straightforward. Especially if the entire Beast-Folk population was up against the wall and forced to act in unison.
“Even if they had to burn the infested areas to the ground to ensure the Wasps were all dead, surely that would've been better than the alternative. No matter how I look at it, if the Beast-Folk had put up a united front, surely they could've done something to reclaim their world…”
Su'ong placed her hand on Alan's shoulder and grimaced, shaking her head sadly. “You are partly right. It is fair to say that had they worked together, things may have turned out differently. But aside from the Capital, the Beast-Folk society had few real cities. Instead, we have always been composed of isolated communities of small clans that usually mistrust, and oftentimes outright hate their closest neighbors. Even though so much has changed, there are some who still cling to these outdated sentiments.“
“Also,” she was quick to add, “I don't think you fully grasp just how efficiently the Rage Wasps operate as a whole. They attack in swarms of small drones, usually going after individual homesteads. However, when gathered up in large enough numbers, it is not unheard of for them to wipe out entire clans. While these drones aren't capable of inflicting much damage, each of their stings inflict a stackable (Rage) Debuff.“ She sighed and dropped her arms to her sides.
“It only takes a few stings to turn a low-leveled individual into a mindless, berserk maniac. And then, you have to take into account the odd buzzing sound their wings make. It becomes like an attractant. Using a mix of occasional stings, in combination with the aggravating noise, they draw the afflicted individual, or individuals in most cases, back to the closest hive. Once there, any hope of rescue is lost. Most captives are used for a food source, but a few are allowed to leave.“
She fixed Alan with a penetrating stare that made his spirit waver under its intensity.
“Death would be preferable to what those unfortunate souls are put through. The unlucky few that leave, do so as monstrosities. These pitiful beings are known as Sentry Colonies, but all they really amount to is a wasp hive with the ability to walk. And unless they are put down, they continue to walk until the hive grows so large that they lose the ability to take another step. Their bodies are then used to nourish a new Queen.“ She snarled, her eyes gleaming with hatred for the creatures who had stolen the birthright of her people.
Unsure of what to do, Alan wrapped her up in an awkward half-hug.
“She's quite correct you know,” Reggie cut in softly, having taken Su'ong's silence as an unwillingness to continue. “A Rage Wasp Empress is exceptionally smart. Even as a juvenile they show abnormally high mental Stats in comparison to what insectoid monsters usually posess. They create, and then release Sentry Colonies, sending them wandering out in all directions. Each of those sentry Colonies produce, and then nurture, their own unique Queen. Under the mental guidance of the Empress, that new Queen, in turn, develops the Sentry colony into a true hive. Serving as an early warning system to inbound attacks on the main hive in the process. And before long, those new hives are sending out drones of their own, which leads to new Sentry Colonies being created. And thusly, if allowed to go unchecked, the despicable process continues until the world is nothing more than an unfathomably large, interconnected wasp hive.“
The way Reggie was explaining things made Alan think of an old wagon wheel. How he pictured it, the Empresses hive would be the center hub, and the paths the Sentry Colonies set out on were the spokes. Only instead of coming to an end at the felloes and tire, each of those Sentries would then develop into a new hub and lay down spokes of their own. If his mental imagery was on the right track, then that was a gruesomely effective tactic. Before long, approaching the Empresses main hive from any direction at all would be a death wish.
The way his Soul seemed to gravitate towards Su'ong's when standing in such close proximity to her was like mainlining a shot of adrenaline. His heart began beat at an accelerated pace, and his hands became jittery. Su'ong looked up at him with mild amusement as he tried to back away.
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“Even outnumbered as they were,” Reggie said, “in the end, with assistance from the System, the Beast-Folk were able to overcome the Empress's bid for control. Yet they did so at a great cost. Not only was their world spilt up into Spatial Realms, but they were forced to accept that one of those realms would have no choice but to contain the Empress. That particular Realm, and the Beast-Folk who would be sent to maintain it were doomed from the outset.“ He finished with a slow shake of his head.
“I tell you this so that you'll understand that although it is now but a fragment of what it once was, this Tutorial realm is a living, thriving world. It has a population of Beast-Folk that rely on it for continued survival. Yet through an Oath made thousands of years ago, every five years they are forced to host a Tutorial."
Reggie gave Alan a grim smile. "Although rare, from time to time, new, and sometimes wonderous natural treasures appear. I believe that the other main reason for your Storage Ring's tracking abilities has to do with just that...“ He stepped to the side, narrowly avoiding taking a Silver Lake Chub to the side of the head.
Alan watched over the top of Su'ong's head as the Wraith picked up the flopping fish. A sickening squelch could be heard as Reggie absorbed the Chub through the palm of his hand. Squawking out it's displeasure, the Roc swooped down over Reggie's head, and zoomed off into the distance. “Well, that's a new trick!“ Reggie said, watching the departing Roc with a satisfied expression.
“I believe that when a rare or unexpected treasure is placed into one of those Rings, the item is secretly appraised, and the precise location it was discovered at is logged for later examination.“ Reggie said, ignoring the look of abject shock on Alan's face.
“Think about it, if the item in question is of a high enough quality, what is to stop them from reaching out through that connection and taking it? Tutorial denizens die quite frequently. It is an unfortunate fact of life. The majority are vastly under prepared for the harsh reality of the Tutorial. In my mind, it doesn't seem very far fetched to imagine that a particularly greedy Administrator would even go so far as to arrange for an accident to occur. Once it is registered that the owner of a ring has passed on, who's to say if an item or two of significant value went missing? Who would believe anyone who tried to speak up?“
He reached down into his voluminous pockets and rummaged around. “So, it is for the best that you can't use that cursed Ring. Because you no longer posess a Mana signature at all, it is likely that your Storage Ring believes that you have died. I originally planned on suggesting that you ask Su'ong to try accessing your inventory. However, then she would be in the same position you were. Subjected to… continuous… examination!“ Reggie gasped out, wrenching his arms and arching his back to the point his head nearly touched his heels. Whatever object he was trying to retrieve was obviously putting up a fight.
With an exaggerated grunt of effort, and one final tug, Reggie pulled so hard that his robes were lifted up and flipped over his head. It was sudden and awkward. Luckily, before Alan could catch more than a glimpse of his girthy lower half, the wraith popped out of sight, and reappeared several feet to the right of where he'd been.
“That was embarrassing,” Reggie said with a shy chuckle, pulling a well-worn, black leather travel bag from out of the depths of his robes. He slung the bag over his shoulder casually, and held out his other hand.
“Give it here,” he said, wiggling his thick fingers impatiently. “If you are willing to trust that I won't abscond with all of your goods, I'll see if I can access it for you.
“Do it,” Su'ong said, gently pushing herself off of Alan's chest to give the Wraith a serious look. “I don't think he would do something so foolish as to try to run off with your inventory, but if he tries to do so, I will break his legs before he can take more than a step or two.“
Reggie snickered and disappeared, immediately reappearing behind Su'ong and tapping her on the shoulder. “Why you…” She growled out, spinning around and lunging at empty air.
A robed arm suddenly appearing around his shoulder caused Alan to gasp and stumble back a step. Either Reggie was extremely fast, or he was using a movement Skill of some sort. “So what do you say?“ Reggie asked with an innocent look on his face and his free hand outstretched. “Have I ever given you a reason not to trust me? Besides, no offense, but the majority of your inventory is just random junk that I had laying around… I have no interest in any of it. Would you like for me to try to get your inventory back?“
“It might be random junk, but it's mine, and I want it back,” Alan said seriously, pulling off both the Storage Ring he was given, along with the one he had found on a buried corpse, and placing them in the Wraith's open palm.
Holy shit! Thinking about that unfortunate being brought about a sudden realization, what are the odds that the corpse I found was the same Sklear that Su'ong said she buried near the entrance of the Dungeon?
Just as fast as the Wraith had appeared, he was gone. For just a brief moment, Alan really believed that Reggie had just done as Su'ong said he wouldn't, and ran off with his inventory. The wide-eyed look of shock on her face said that she was thinking something along those same lines.
A quick search of the surrounding area was all he needed to spot his target. For a reason that Alan could only guess at, the Wraith was standing beneath the Golden Plantain tree, pulling off several of the oversized leaves.
“Is it wrong that I still want to break his legs?“ Su'ong asked quietly, grabbing Alan's hand and pulling him along after her.
It was fairly annoying to be dragged along like a lost child, especially by someone close to half his size. Still, he couldn't help but smile. After the last several weeks, if being pulled around the Safe Zone by his arm was as bad as it was going to get, then it was a burden he would gladly suffer.
As he trudged through the grass, Alan watched as Reggie laid his leaves out flat, right next to the lake. “Hey Reggie!“ Alan called out, “Are we about to have a picnic?“ He asked jokingly. “I thought you were in a hurry to leave, but I could definitely go for some sandwiches.
Turning to look over his shoulder, Reggie gave Alan a puzzled look. “Picnic?“ he asked awkwardly and turned back to flattening out his leaves. Although he was facing away, Alan could hear him repeat the word out loud several more times.
“You know,” Alan said, “a picnic. Lay out a blanket by the water, eat some good food. We even have a nice fake sun to… No?“ The way Reggie kept repeating the same word, as if tasting the syllables in an attempt to make sense of it wasn't helping.
“What are Sand Witches?“ Su'ong interjected, butchering the word with a gleam in her eye and firing off several questions in rapid succession. “Are they powerful? Do humans usually eat those that practice the Unorthodox Arts?“
“Yes." Alan lied sarcastically, already wishing he would've kept his mouth shut. “It doesn't matter the type or flavor, Witches are considered a true delicacy on Earth. Unfortunately, as far as I can tell, they were driven to extinction long before my birth, so I never got to try one…”
The maniacal grin that appeared on Su'ong's face was enough to give him chills.
I probably shouldn't have said that… Alan thought, unsure what to make of her sudden, unhinged giggles.