“My health has almost recovered completely. But...” I said.
“You have only one life left,” Xanthia interrupted. “From what I have heard, lives are pretty hard to come by. At least in this forest.”
“We opened a lot of chests. But none presented any extra lives to us,” I explained.
“I am not sure about chests providing any, but there is one place you can get an extra life. It is in the form of a flower. It is called Moonlit Flower. Blooms only on a full moon night.”
“Every full moon night? Doesn’t sound that rare.”
“I guess it is meant to act like an item to a player. Because once it is picked, the plant withers and doesn’t bear another flower again,” Xanthia explained.
“Oh. I see now. Know where I can find one?”
“Your best bet would be the Riven Labyrinth. It is home to some very unique flora. But you must be careful. It is home to a colony of Goblins.”
“Goblins, huh?” Sounds rather irritating. Goblins are sneaky, attack in packs, and fight dirty. At least the ones I know of. “I guess Urvi and I can give it a shot.”
***
“Goblins? Sounds fun,” Urvi said.
Xanthia was kind enough to escort me out of the gardens and back outside where Urvi was waiting for me. She even provided me with some new armor, which essentially boiled down to Black Tribal Loincloth and a circular cloth with a center cutout through which my head would fit.
“But you might want to wait. The chief has asked me to hunt down an Orc that is troubling a village nearby,” Urvi said.
“That sounds fun too. I will join,” I replied.
“Hmm...” Xanthia interrupted. I turned back to see her looking slightly concerned. “Sorry, but I suggest you,” she pointed at me, ‘stay away from that Orc. It is a big mean beast. I am sure the Chief has appointed a few of his hunters to assist her.”
“Oh yes. He has. Just wait this one out. It will be short,” Urvi replied.
I sighed dully. Again, missing the action. Despite the near-death experience, I was itching to get back into action. Get stronger and kick that asshole’s butt.
“Maybe you should split up. Why don’t you ask Kaya to help you get to Riven?” Xanthia suggested.
“Kaya? The one who saved us?” I asked.
“Indeed. She must be stationed at the North gate. Tell her I sent you and she should help you out,” Xanthia said.
“Okay. I can give it a try. Thank you so much!” I said.
“It’s my pleasure.” Xanthia bowed before turning around and walking back into the garden.
I felt a sharp prick on my left abdomen, sending me jumping into the air. I turned back to see Urvi looking at me with a wide grin. “So...? How was she?” She asked.
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
“You got some alone time with her, didn’t you? Must have got to know her really... good.”
I knew where this was going. It looks like she is hornier than I am. Though I think she is always horny. “Well yeah. Can you believe she is two hundred years old?”
“Two hundred, huh? Sounds like the right age for you,” she said cheekily.
“Are you calling yourself a hag?” I retorted.
Her cheeks puffed up and her eyebrows furrowed. “Fuck you! I am guessing you didn’t make a move on her... yet?”
I looked at her with a slightly annoyed expression. “She is their god!”
“Oh please. I have seen you play enough video games to know every pair of tits is a dating opportunity.”
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I rolled my eyes. “You really need a filter.”
“We will see about that later. Because you got yourself another great opportunity,” she said.
“And how is that?”
“Kaya is hot and single, or at least that is what I heard.”
Yeah sure. Warriors, especially females, are allergic to romance. “And she is really good with a bow. She will put an arrow through my heart before I even try.”
“Come on man. You will never know what she wants until you ask and find out,” Urvi said.
I sighed once again. “We will see. I would like to have an extra life before attempting such endeavors. But before that. Can we get something to eat? I am starving!”
***
When they said north gate, I was expecting some kind of a structure, acting as a gate with an outpost. Instead, here I was trudging through thick foliage and surrounded by enormous trees on all sides. I had lost track of time walking through the untamed jungle and began to wonder if I had taken a wrong turn or veered off the path. However, the map told me I was on the right track. Xanthia was gracious enough to mark the gate for me. Turned out, if you want to use the map, somebody from the world needed to mark points of interest on it for us, you know, like how video game maps should work.
I took a look at mine and Urvi’s levels just before I left.
Karna
Level
Health
Attack
Defense
Speed
Special Attack
Special Defense
11
135
27
25
33
35
31
Urvashi
Level
Health
Attack
Defense
Speed
Special Attack
Special Defense
12
151
38
25
39
27
27
I was just shy of level 12 while Urvi was a few points in. Progress seems to have slowed down to a crawl but then again we weren’t exactly doing things that got us XP.
“Aren’t you supposed to be resting?” a voice spoke.
I jumped on hearing the voice, frantically looking around to see where it came from.
“Up here,” she said again.
I looked up and around to see a woman sitting high up on a tree branch. Her bare leg was hanging down, swinging back and forth. I focused in on her face, a mature tribal woman, with a thin face and sharp cheekbones. She had a black ponytail and two thick hair tendrils hanging on each side of her face. Her skin was a deep shade of brown, much like all the humans of her community, and her arms and legs were thick and strong.
“I am guessing you are Kaya?” I asked.
“I am indeed. You must be Karna.” Her voice was raspy and had a depth that came with age.
“I am. Thank you for saving me.”
She smiled softly and said, “You came all the way here to say that?”
“I did,” I said proudly. “But also, I need your help.”
“Is that so? Well... Sorry, but I can’t help you,” she replied.
“Huh? Why so?” I was a bit taken aback by it. I guess I was expecting her to act as an NPC and just accept without asking questions.
“I am guarding the north gate, and I don’t take requests from strangers.”
That is fair, but... “I was sent by Mother Xanthia.”
Kaya vanished from atop the tree, landing before me with a dull thud. I looked down to see her getting back up from the squat that softened her landing. I finally got a good look at her well-cut body and what I saw made my cheeks flush red.
Her black armor was little more than a miniskirt, barely covering her waist, and a somewhat thick bra holding her massive breasts together. Her forearms were protected by thick black armored bracelets while her legs remained bare and unprotected. Yup. My hormones were making my heart thump against my chest hard.
“Mother sent you? Well then. It must be an important mission then,” Kaya said.
***
She put on some heavy armored boots before swinging a bow and a quill of arrows over her shoulder. “I am ready.”
I simply nodded and Kaya took the lead as we began our journey towards Riven Labyrinth.
“Mother Xantia is a very kind woman,” Kaya said.
“She is indeed.”
“She tries to make sure everyone is safe and happy...” and so, Kaya began talking about Xanthia for the next... I am not sure. I had lost track of time by then. It appeared as though I was getting my first experience of how the people of the forest saw her. Their god. They praised her, unabashedly, and rightfully so. She had done nothing but good for the people. But it soon dawned on me how much faith they had in her, almost to an unhealthy degree. Had Xanthia been even a little selfish, she would be living like a queen.
“It is very strange to me. In my world, gods don’t live among humans,” I said.
She looked back at me shocked. “Really? Then where do they live?”
“We actually don’t know. We just believe they exist.”
“How is that possible? How can you believe in something that doesn’t exist?” she asked.
I really didn’t have an answer for that. “I know. It is strange now that I hear it out loud.”
“Thankfully our god chose to stay with us. Without her, we would be lost...” and she went on to praise Xanthia for another... I lost track of time again.
Kaya’s unrelenting devotion was charming, but I couldn’t help but think how sweet Xanthia was handling such madness.