Travel time to the mountain range was about two hours. Once there, I take the time to fly up and observe the area.
Fun fact: Mythological creatures are real in this new universe.
Harpies, Gryphons, lesser Wyverns, the occasional elemental of wind and a few of earth. Not to mention the droves of goblins, direwolves, and some kind of large cat. Haven’t been close enough to tag one of those and examine it yet.
There are others types of prey available, but I’m not sure if I’ll be actively hunting them. If they cross my path and drop something neat - all bets are off then.
I’m betting that the flying mobs are the ones I will need to cull are my targets for the Wind essence. The elementals may yield a decent harvest too.
Given the numbers against me, I figure now would be a good time to see what other weapons I picked up from Meanrock. Of which, I’m genuinely surprised since my own handguns are soulbound to me. Shouldn’t they have been soulbound to him?
Something wiggles in the back of my mind, demanding attention for a moment. Then it’s gone.
I take out my own handguns and examine them again.
Unique Artifact Handgun (pair): Infinite ammunition - JHP. Ammo and handgun can both be enchanted.This is a gun, physics apply - not standard damage modifiers. Soul Bound. Note: damage is done to local impact area. Warning: System killer - permadeath when used.
They both look like Glocks. Jacketed hollow point ammo, so I won’t have to worry as much about other people getting injured once the bullet enters the target. Physical damage only, so if there is a high resistance or in the case of the elementals - pure physical resistance, I’ll need to take advantage of the ability to enchant the ammo and guns themselves.
Putting my handguns back into my inventory, I start to pull out the small cache I picked up from Meanrock.
Unique Artifact Submachine Gun: FN 5.7×28mm equivalent. Infinite ammunition - JHP. Ammo and submachine gun can both be enchanted. This is a gun, physics apply - not standard damage modifiers. Soul Bound. Note: damage is done to local impact area. Warning: System killer - permadeath when used.
Looks almost like an FN P90. Jacketed hollow point rounds like my hand guns. USG low light reflex sight, with suppressor. This will be great for when I need close quarters high damage output.
Putting it back, I note that the next weapon is another set of two.
Unique Artifact Submachine Gun (pair): 4.6x30mm equivalent. Infinite ammunition - FMJ. Ammo and submachine gun can both be enchanted. This is a gun, physics apply - not standard damage modifiers. Soul Bound. Note: damage is done to local impact area. Warning: System killer - permadeath when used.
Hmm. They look very close to H&K MP7A1’s. Full metal jacket ammo, same low light reflex sights and suppressors on each. These will be crowd control, likely best when I go after the goblins in the area. The infinite ammo makes these dangerous, capable of taking out small armies with ease in this new universe.
Putting those back, I find the weapon I was hoping for next.
Unique Artifact Semi-automatic Rifle: 5.56×45mm NATO equivalent. Infinite ammunition. HPBT. Ammo and handgun can both be enchanted. This is a gun, physics apply - not standard damage modifiers. Soul Bound. Note: damage is done to local impact area. Warning: System killer - permadeath when used.
Like a SIG516, this one has a scope, secondary handle, targeted laser, and flashlight. Hollow point boat tail ammo makes for great long range accuracy. The burst round makes for great stopping power, assuming I can control the burst. This is my short to mid-range rifle right here, just what I need for most of the targets around here.
Strapping this mean machine around my back, I look at the last piece I picked up.
Unique Artifact Sniper Rifle: .50 BMG equivalent. Infinite ammo. Anti-material rifle, API. Ammo and handgun can both be enchanted. This is a gun, physics apply - not standard damage modifiers. Soul Bound. Note: damage is done to local impact area. Warning: System killer - permadeath when used.
This one brings a tear to my eye. Looks like a Zastava M93 Black Arrow, with armor piercing incendiary rounds - when I go back to my Origin world, that overgrown lizard will be the first I try this bad ass piece of death dealing fuckery on. Add on some enchantments, this may be a complete show stopper.
Getting myself back under control, I start to scope out my targets.
The harpies are just as disturbing as they were portrayed in literature and in games. C-cup breasts and larger, with a body that’s very attractive, but with massive talons for feet and wings for arms. Their face though, ugh. Double bag it if you’re desperate, otherwise leave it the fuck alone. Feathers cover a majority of their bodies and they vary in color from red, to green, to brown.
The gryphons and wyverns are portrayed fairly accurately. Some variations in color and size being the only major differences I see compared to games and literature.
The elementals are comprised of their element swirling around a core, which is some geometric shape or another or varying shades of color and composition. The earth elemental has dirt and rocks floating around it while the wind elemental is completely comprised of colored air - sometimes green, sometimes a bluish silver.
The goblins are nasty looking. Green skin, pug-like faces smushed onto their tiny heads. Average height of about a meter or three feet, some half again as tall - which are likely important members or leaders. They situate themselves around cave entrances and have crude tents or lean-to’s surrounded by shoddy wood and rock perimeters.
The direwolves are interesting. The average pack size is about twelve, so I’m thinking that’s their hunting parties. They stand a little under two meters or six feet tall at their shoulder and just as long, meaning they’re massive.
One of their parties could take me down, if I didn’t have the OP guns that I do. Probably. It’d hurt to find out, so let’s not.
Making sure auto-loot is on, I prepare to cull the mountain range. The nice thing about my hand guns and the semi-auto rifle is that they are loud. So loud, they are likely to attract a lot of attention very quickly.
Yippee ki yay - you know the rest.
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Three hours later, I finish cleaning up the area. Being able to fly and having a quicker mobility in this terrain makes for a quick killing spree - relatively. There were several thousand mobs in the area and the lowest level I had seen, when I cared to look, was fifty two.
My experience counter did not change, no level ups, no notifications - nothing. That could be worrisome, but again - I can’t be arsed to care at the moment.
The MP7’s worked beautifully, taking out multiple targets per shot. Full auto and one in each hand means a lot of dead goblins. Infinite ammo really broke these weapons and I loved every second of it.
As I arrived around noon, it’s a little after three when I finish. That’ll give me an opportunity to make for the next spot on the map.
Said spot is more west than north of where I’m at. Travel distance estimated about an hour, based on the trip to this mountain range.
Stretching, I make sure my mana is in good shape and pull a little jerky from my pack to eat as I travel. Rocketing away, I pull up my inventory and take stock of my newly acquired goods.
I was spot on about the flying types having the essence I wanted and was pleasantly surprised when I got earth and fire essence from the goblins and direwolves.
Wind Essence (Major): A highly concentrated Essence of wind that was taken from a local monster. High grade crafting material.
Earth Essence (Major): A highly concentrated Essence of earth that was taken from a local monster. High grade crafting material.
Fire Essence (Major): A highly concentrated Essence of fire that was taken from a local monster. High grade crafting material.
Given the high number of mobs killed, I have over two hundred fifty of each essence. This alone tells me something important about my luck - luck doesn’t affect the amount of drops I get, just the quality level of the drop. If the mobs were dropping the high quality materials to start, my luck would only change the quality level of the other few drops I received. Common, uncommon, blah blah.
That and luck fucks with my interactions with others.
To continue, the rest of my drops included: wyvern scales, meat, claw, teeth, blood. Goblin ears, teeth, blood, bones, and the occasional bits of weapons and armor that weren’t worth a spit. Dire Wolf pelts, meat, teeth, claws, bones, and blood. Gryphon feathers, claws, meat, and blood. Same thing for harpies too. Auto-loot was kind enough to take all their organs as well. Each material gained was over one hundred, I’ll do a proper tally when I’m finished.
All told, I made off with quite a bit of high quality materials. Tepindo will be most pleased, after I drop by the adventurers guild to close out a few bounties.
Having gotten back into my VoDaD for leisurely travel, I arrived at the edge of the forest far quicker than anticipated. From this point, I’ll have to rely on the spiffy boots that stalker-princess gifted me to navigate the forest quickly.
The forest is old, the trees span over fifty meter or one hundred fifty feet in height. The canopy is tightly knit, so I won’t be able to easily fly in and out of the forest. Given the height of the trees though, I’ll still have mobility between the trees. I’ll have to be more aware of branches and ambushes while traversing the air in there though.
Because of the size of the forest, I make sure to fly near its approximate center, otherwise I’ll spend days here trying to find the highest concentration of mana for the crystals.
I slowly ease myself down into the canopy, making sure to take my time and not scratch myself up. Obviously look for enemy mobs as well.
After making it to the ground level of the ancient forest, I keep catching shifting colors out of the corner of my eye. My left eye, which was lost due to shrapnel during my minor skirmish with Meanrock.
As the days passed, I had noticed that a milky eye with something like a design was growing back in. I didn’t think much of it, attributing it to the water or the food. Maybe I should have taken a closer look and paid more attention - eyes don’t just regrow after all.
Putting it out of my mind, I start my hunt. The forest is overflowing with wildlife. Deer, rabbit, boar, or at least the local variety of such. The names make no sense to me when I examine them, the level is averaging at sixty, but the names are a mishmash of my known alphabet and I don’t even know where to begin in order to pronounce these names.
They all look like prey to me, so we’ll stick with that.
I chance upon the occasional Dryad as I wander through the forest, but I leave them alone. Gorgeous, petite, and very, very female. More human-like than tree, they had a varying external appearance. Greens, browns, golds, and a hint of red compose their outer ‘attire’ - which is very little and accentuate their bodies nicely.
I wave or smile at them and continue on, making sure not to depopulate the local wildlife so bad as to impact this little eco-system. I wiped clean the mountain range, I don’t intend to do that here.
Fortunately, every kill drops a score of Mana crystals. I get about eight to twelve crystals per kill, so I’ll make out like a bandit with this crucial enchantment material. Even better, they’re all high grade. Score!
I’m getting ready to wrap things up when a fucking Treant strikes at me. Level eighty two, the tall bugger almost got me with it’s branches when I walked beside it’s trunk. Dodging out of range, I pull up the suppressed P90 I was using for my hunt here in the quiet forest and unload all the way up one of it’s trunks.
An eerie wail issues forth while I’m pumping the walking tree with so many bullets, I quickly lose count.
Swinging the submachine gun around my back, I focus a moment before chanting out a concentrated Gust. With forty mana units and condensing it down to a little smaller than its base form, I let it loose at the base of the tree.
One of its trunks-for-legs cave in, causing the mighty tree to start falling. “Tiiiiimmbeeeeeerrr!” I couldn’t resist. I barely resist pulling out a super charged, two hundred mana unit Ember to blow its ass up. For the sake of the forest, I manage not to give in to my pyro tendencies.
Aiming about mid-way up its main trunk body, I cut loose a concentrated burst to saw the trunk in half and terminate this offensive bush on legs. I’m being derogatory, it has a height of about thirty meters or about a hundred feet.
My prize for felling the shrub? A few dozen pieces of wood that will have to be identified - all it has in the description is question marks. Weird.
Shrugging, I set myself to blast off and navigate myself through the canopy and away. My last destination is purified water, though I could likely make due with the earth essence I acquired. I’m a completionist though, so off we go.
The location is a little farther away from the village than the mountain range was but south east of the village. This sets me up for a longer travel time, but getting at two of the materials needed in such a close proximity to each other was too great to pass up.
Pedal to the metal, I hardline this new transport of mine to see what kind of travel time I can make. For the most part, I just need to avoid trees and large boulders. All told, easy travel so long as I pay attention.
Thankfully I make it to the last area before the sun sets. This way I can make out the location far easier than stumbling around in the dark. Hopping out of the VoDaD and placing it back into inventory, I take to the skies.
What an amazing place this is. A massive valley, deeply carved by constantly flowing waters. Waterfalls all over, more water than not in this area. It’s not a swamp, as the water is flowing and crystal clear in its purity. I take a few minutes to admire the stunning sight as water refracts the waning light and portrays a dazzling rainbow scene.
I float down to a clearing that isn’t submerged with water to recoup any of my spent mana and pull up my map.
I’m roughly in the center of the area that was marked for me, so the Undines should be in this approximate area. I hope I won’t have to wander too far to…
“...an doing here?”
“A man! Oh they haven’t visited in ages!”
“Oooh he looks so handsome!”
“Did he really just fly here?”
Many voices talking, overlapping each other. I blink and look around, my night vision kicking in as the last vestiges of light fade from the world.
Surrounding the clearing are dozens of mostly nude women. Varying heights, hairs styles and lengths, and three measurements every shut-in hentai lover craves to know - I think I may be in trouble.
“Uhh, hi?” I’m more than a little sheepish, I wasn’t expecting this level of intelligence. Hell, I don’t even know what I was expecting for this leg of the journey. I’d already looked at many different sources of water in hopes that they were what I needed, which they weren’t. But if the information claimed the Undines had what I was looking for, I’m not sure what I’m going to do now.
Meaning - unless they attack me, there is no way I can justify killing them for the purified water.
I double check my HUD, just in case I’m missing something. No red, no enemies. Every one of them is neutral to me.
While I’m assessing all of this, a tall and extremely curvy Undine makes her way towards me. Focusing on her, she stops about three meters away and stands there for a moment. I can see her eyes taking me in, almost judging. I frown slightly, making sure to keep my posture neutral and unassuming.
“Human male, what brings you to the heart of our lands?” Her voice has a lyrical, soothing quality to it.
I cough to clear my suddenly tightening throat. “I was told I could find purified water at this location. I’m an enchanter and I was looking for my own materials to use rather than paying for materials someone else gathered.” I maintain eye contact the entire time, though the hot-blooded male in me wanted to stare at the rest of her.
Murmuring breaks out all around the the clearing, the other Undines talking quietly to their neighbors. The, I’m guessing leader, narrows her eyes at me for a moment. Her arms cross and she juts a hip out a bit.
“And just how were you going to get the purified water?” She’s become confrontational. Why?
I don’t bother to hide my confusion, either from my face or voice as I reply, “I came to look for it. I honestly don’t know where it is yet. All I know is that the Undines, which I’m guessing is you all, have it.”
The murmuring gets louder.
The leader stares for a few moments before replying. “... you speak the truth. I’m surprised you don’t know where the purified water comes from or how to get it.” It wasn’t a question, so I just give a half shrug and remain as I am.
The leader sighs and shakes her head. “This will take time to both explain and obtain the purified water. Follow us back to our encampment, we will discuss this there.”
I nod and fall into step behind her, conscious of my gaze and trying not to stare at her glorious ass as she walks in front of me.
That makes me pause a minute and wonder. Every since I got to this world, my long forgotten hormones have kicked in with a furious vengeance. I pull up my status to check if there is anything affecting me - nothing beyond the normal.
I frown. What the hell is going on?