A wide grin spread across Su'ong's face. She smacked her hand lightly on the top of Alan's head and stood up before he could respond to her offhanded insult. Stretching her back, she regarded Teyr for a moment, watching as the Roc glided out over the plains, making its way back towards the lake. “It means 'Big Bird',” Su'ong said absently, dismissing her armor.
“Wait, what? Alan asked awkwardly, instinctively turning his head to give her a bit of privacy, electing a giggle from Suong in the process.
“Teyr,” she replied, placing her hand on Alan's chin and forcibly turning his head. “In my native tongue, it means 'Big Bird'. You said the Rocs in your stories grow to be massive, and she is already much larger than most birds that are found in the Tutorial Realm, so I felt it fitting… Alan, why are your eyes closed?“
Sighing, Alan opened his eyes and was both surprised and relieved to see that she was wearing a purple robe made of a slightly opaque silk of some kind.
Alan wasn't sure where the random article of clothing had come from, but he really wished she would've left the armor on. The way the fabric clung to her form made her curvy figure even more provocative. He was still working over conflicting thoughts of Su'ong's naked form so casually pressing up against him last night, and this only served to accentuate the issue.
Were she to keep up with her flippant temptations for much longer, he feared he'd be warming a clutch of eggs far sooner than he had imagined.
“Have you… had that robe this whole time?“ Alan asked with raised eyebrows. He was doing his best to ignore the way the light of the Safe Zone's false sun shone directly through the thin fabric, simultaneously revealing everything clothes were meant to hide, whilst making the strange fabric shimmer alluringly.
Grimacing, Su'ong shrugged and ran a hand through her short hair. “Well, technically, yes. But…” she gave Alan a serious look. “We cannot spend the rest of our lives dancing around your strange Human sensibilities. I was taught that there is no reason to be ashamed of our physical forms. I truly don't understand why you get so nervous. Perhaps it's a cultural difference, or one having to do with upbringing…”
“Clothing is completely optional in the Beast Folk community. Many choose to forgo clothing entirely, especially those Beast Folk with more abstract body types. Either way, I made the decision to withhold my clothing until you stopped being so hesitant to look at me.“
Instead of replying immediately, Alan gave her words a chance to soak in. The more he pondered the reality of what she'd said, the more he had to admit it made sense.
“That's… fair,” he eventually admitted. Regardless of how he considered it, his mind kept coming back to the same conclusion. Who was he to judge the customs of other Races? Having never actually met a woman before Su'ong, all he had to go off of were Uncle Alex's words. It was he who had said one must always respect a woman's modesty, which had led Alan to his current predicament.
Who knows where that stoner got his information, but obviously it wasn't from the Beast Folk…
“Are you hungry?“ Su'ong asked, suddenly holding a large metal pot and wooden spoon. “Because I'm starving.“
“Oh God's yes!“ Alan exclaimed excitedly, the idea of a properly cooked meal awakened a rumbling in his stomach. He wasn't sure what she planned to cook, and frankly, didn't care in the slightest. Whatever she made, it was sure to be better than his failed attempt to make spit roasted Rocs.
Reminded of a couple of odd pieces of loot dropped by the Almiraj Matriarch, Alan called the Luck Altering Talismans from inventory and held one out to Su'ong.
Grasped in his outstretched hand, glittering in the light was what appeared to be one of the Almiraj Matriarch's feet. It was attached to a rope of tightly braided gold fur that Alan assumed was to allow it to be worn like a bracelet, or perhaps tied to his Class armor.
“What do you make of these?“ Alan asked, activating [Appraise], genuinely concerned about the consequences of equipping such an object. With Luck being such a fickle subject, he needed a second opinion before even considering putting one to use.
Golden Almiraj Luck Altering Talisman- The Golden Almiraj is a rare and magical creature that is said to be a bringer of good luck and fortune. Its foot is prized by adventurers and gamblers alike. When worn or carried, slightly alters the effects of the user's Luck stat, increasing the odds of encountering 'Good' Luck, simultaneously providing a boost of +1% to the effect of their Luck.
Alan was so caught up in the description that he failed to listen to Su'ong's animated response. Even if it only provided a slight effect, increasing his odds of encountering favorable opportunities was nothing to spit at. Dumbfounded by the remarkably good loot, Alan chose a small bone hook protruding from the front of his armor, one just above his heart, and tied the talisman in place.
Once it was secured, a slight buzzing sensation spread from head to foot. Alan gasped as he watched the talisman become translucent before vanishing entirely.
Pawing at his chest, Alan could still feel it there, but try as he might, it simply couldn't be detected visually. It was only after he untied it that it once more popped into existence.
“You didn't hear a single word I said did you?“ Su'ong asked, rolling her eyes and tying her own talisman around her thin wrist. Her jaw dropped as she watched it fade out of view.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
“It's still there,” Alan reassured her, having just went through the same bizarre experience and still finding it hard to rationalize the talismans ability to abruptly turn invisible. What was the purpose? He wondered. Was it to keep the object from being stolen or targeted to be destroyed in a fight? Anxious to find out, Alan asked Su'ong to try to untie his talisman, but no matter how she went about it, Su'ong didn't seem to be able to locate it, let alone touch it.
So only the user has the ability to remove it huh…
Su'ong set off shortly after. Before she left, she extracted a promise from Alan that he would hurry back to camp after checking out the tunnel the Almiraj Matriarch had exposed. He agreed on the condition that she wouldn't eat everything without him. Alan warned her he planned to loot every Plantain tree he came across, so he might take a while getting back.
Right before she was out of sight, Su'ong suddenly turned around.
Even from such a distance, Alan could see Su'ong's face scrunch up with obvious uncertainty.
With that, she turned and walked into a patch of grass that swallowed her whole.
“I kinda wanted to use them now though…” Alan said quietly, shaking his head as he walked to the edge of the narrow pit's entrance. It wasn't until he stood over the open hole leading into the underground warren that he realized just how bad it smelled in there. “Holy shit!“ he blurted out, confused as to how he managed to stand at the bottom without noticing the smell when it reeked so bad all the way up here.
“Dude…” He gagged, “It smells like a goblins nutsack down there!“ Eyes beginning to water, Alan retreated a few more steps only to find that the smell was still getting worse. He began to contemplate bailing on the whole situation. Sure, there might be something down there, but would it be worth the cost?
Alan pictured the look on Su'ong's face should he return to camp smelling like a sewer full of dead bodies, and didn't like what he saw. Not at all.
I wonder if she has anymore of that scented oil… Alan pondered, glaring down at the pit with his hand over his mouth. “Fuck this,” he snarled, convinced that the small was only getting worse. At this point, there was no way he would even be able to breathe down there. He had become damn good at holding his breath, which was another option he considered.
No matter how Alan thought about it, it just wasn't worth the trouble. He didn't like the idea of leaving the area unexplored, but neither did he relish the thought of his Class armor absorbing this smell. Absorbing…
Hit with a sudden realization, Alan couldn't help but feel that he would more than likely be able to absorb a pathogen or three from the source of this smell. In the midst of his indecision, a glint of light flashed off something in the shadowed depths of the pit.
Expecting another Almiraj, Alan was both confused, and a little disgusted when instead of a furry body, a putrid mass of brownish gelatinous ooze surged up the walls of the underground warren, completely filling up the nearly four foot wide entrance. Whatever it was, this was obviously the source of the stench.
Now that it was in the light, Alan could clearly see through its wobbly mass directly into its innards. What he saw there froze him in place long enough for the wretched creature to emit a wet slurp as it forced itself the rest of the way out of the hole and expanded into what looked like a ball of filthy sewage water standing nearly five feet tall.
Countless baby Almiraj in varying stages of decomposition were trapped within its body. A few were little more than piles of corroded bones, but most, Alan realized with horror, were still alive, twisting and writhing as the caustic substance coating their bodies slowly ate them alive.
“That's… really gotta suck…” Alan whispered. Inwardly cringing, he tossed out an [Appraise] to see exactly what he was dealing with.
Remarkable! Your Skill (C)[Appraise] has grown to Level 2!
Lvl 11 Scumbag HP: 1700/1700 (Highest Stat: 31 Constitution)
That… might actually be the most accurate beast name I've come across yet.
Alan found himself trapped in a cycle of fighting back giggles and vomit, once again dealing with a beast that out leveled the Zone in which he was located. And this one was two levels beyond what he'd been led to be the limit. According to the information he was provided, the Plains Zone wasn't supposed to contain anything above Level 9. The Pistol Crab on the island was a Level beyond the stated limit of the Lakeside Zone, and as far as Alan could tell, there was only a single thing the beasts had in common.
They had both been located below ground level.
Well, technically the Pistol Crab was underwater, but it was right next to that tunnel… So maybe the Level cap only works for beasts gathered on, or near the surface?
There was no way to be certain, but Alan felt as if he was on to something with his theory. However, with an unsightly monster beginning to roll towards him, Alan put aside his attempts to rationalize and focused on the foe before him.
Judging solely by the helpless critters trapped in its bowels, Alan decided immediately that there was no way he planned to let this thing touch him. That was certainly the plan, but Alan was complete unprepared when an alarm of warning sounded in his mind right as the seemingly-slow creature compressed down against the ground, flattening into a disc before springing forward at a speed that seemed impossible for a Level 11 monster.
Alan'a first instinct was to activate [Mirage Step]. Thus far, the Technique had proven its worth many times over, but Alan's energy reserves were running painfully low. Fearing what would happen if he were to suddenly find himself completely drained of energy, Alan flung himself to the side. His efforts were too little too late.
A cool, sticky substance encapsulated his feet just before a searing pain jolted him to action. It felt like he was standing in an open flame, and Alan had no desire to allow this to continue. Sinking his claws into the hard-packed earth, he tried his best to yank his legs free, but the Scumbag seemed to be made out of a viscous, rubber-like substance. No matter how hard he pulled, all he accomplished was dragging the Scumbag closer, allowing it to spread further up his body.
Already, it was up to his waist, and the pain was nearing the point of becoming infuriating. Feeling like a fucking idiot for winding up like this, Alan turned to look at the damage, his eyes narrowing in concern as he saw the scales on his exposed feet beginning to bubble. Thin tendrils of blood seeped out, forming a hazy maroon cloud hovering around his legs.
It took everything he had not to lash out at it with his claws. He felt like it should be well within his capabilities to pop it like a balloon, yet at the same time was wary of getting his hands trapped as well. Heart hammering in his chest, Alan suddenly regretted not going back to camp with Su'ong.
Yet how was he to know that this whole time they had been practically standing on top of a beast that could essentially nullify his physical strength?