“Let’s never do Jungle again, please?” Darya pleaded.
It was a lesson learned. While the strategy to rush bosses while under the effect of [Measured Savagery] was a good one, I needed to learn to choose the right dungeons and to pick my fights. Not all bosses were made equal. Some were really easy, some were harder, and some were utterly terrifying for Darya.
“I-I .. I didn’t know.”
Darya had regained her composure, but was still a bit shaken up. “It’s not on you, I should've just spun around and headed right back out.”
Amelia had calmed down too, but was still frowning with an obvious look of concern for her sister’s mental state written on her face.
“What’s next?” I asked probingly. “If you’re still-”
“I ain’t a quitter,” Darya said firmly. “How much time do you got?”
“Sixty minutes.”
I had underestimated the time it actually took to rush the dungeon and kill the boss. All manner of hiccups along the way had slowed the pace by quite a bit. I had enough time for two, maybe three more dungeons before the [Measured Savagery] buff wore off.
“Well, what are we waiting for then?”
“You?”
“Oh, right.”
Darya opened up the next portal, and this time it was for a [t1] Whispering Bog. I stepped through and on the other side my feet sunk into the spongy ground. Mist clung to gnarled branches, creating an otherworldly atmosphere. Distant croaks and buzzing of insects filled the air with a mysterious symphony. I smelled an earthy scent of decomposing vegetation. The area was full of murky waters reflecting the twisted forms of ancient trees and patches of vibrant green moss.
“Is this one okay?” I asked her. “I don’t see any snakes.”
Darya narrowed her eyes, looking around. “That’s exactly what those sneaky bastards would want you to think.”
“What did they do to you to make you hate them so much?”
“One bit me before. It hurt.”
“Was it venomous?” I asked.
"Sure was, but luckily it was just a dry bite."
“A dry bite?”
“It didn’t inject any venom, but I still couldn’t walk right for a month.”
I winced. “I get it now.”
The map showed a circular shaped landscape full of ponds. A border of thick tree trunks encircling the dungeon, blocking a way out. There was no immediate indication of where the boss could be, so I decided to head straight through to the point furthest from where we came in.
For whatever reason, the monsters were out of sight. Stealth was out of the question, not with the sounds of mud squelching between my toes. So, I moved ahead at a brisk pace, scanning from side to side and listening intently. While the Jungle was lit up as if it was the middle of the day, this Bog dungeon was illuminated by the full moon. It cast long, silvery beams that danced on the water's surface, creating a mesmerizing play of reflections. The surrounding foliage took on an ethereal quality, their shadows stretching long across the water.
We reached the center point of the dungeon and heard splashing of water. Horrors crawled out of the murky water. The inky, black figures crept low to the ground moving on limbs that seemed to bend unnaturally. The many red eyes on their misshapen, grotesque heads stared forward without blinking. There was a serious nightmarish vibe to them. These monsters were vastly more frightening than any snake I ever saw, yet Darya didn’t lose her cool. I felt a cold shiver just looking at the repulsive things. I didn’t know what the hell they were. Demons? Ghouls? Insects? [Keen Eye] showed one as a [Blutleech], but that didn’t tell me a whole lot.
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As they drew closer, they screeched with their mouths wide open, full of tiny sharp teeth. They lurched, sending mud flying everywhere. A swift hatchet to the head made short work of them, but more were crawling out.
“Keep moving,” Darya said. “I’ll keep them slowed.”
I pressed on ahead with her behind me. She’d stop to let loose an arrow every few steps, finding a target with every shot. Zigzagging around the ponds, we reached the other end of the dungeon only to find a single, large tree stump standing in the center of a grassy meadow.
“I’ll take care of these, you kill the tree.”
“The what?”
A loud creaking and groaning of a wood rumbled through the bog. The stump rose up to three times its height. Wooden limbs protruded out the sides, roots bulged out at the base. It moved in my direction, but very slowly. Its old eyes focused in on me, its mouth looked menacing -- if it ever got to me.
[t2] Treant [Gray]
This was going to be easy. I thumbed the power crystals on my Ardent wands and waited. Maybe it’d get to me in six seconds, but I seriously doubted it.
The wands whined and I lined them up to hit the lumbering monstrosity of rotten wood and bark. The bolts smashed it dead on, but were deflected, exploding past it to the side.
“Huh?”
The treant pressed on, just as slow as before. I had to move out of the way after all. I took off at a light jog, going around the outer edge of the meadow in a circle. I fired again, and same as before, the shots went off to the sides after deflecting against the boss. However, this time I noticed that it brought its arms inward right before the bolts hit.
“Alright, I see now. I got you.”
I had to time my shots and approach the boss just right. I thumbed the power crystals and counted off the seconds. At the same time, I had to be mindful that my [Wandcrafter] profession reduced the power up time by 15%. The treant trudged on after me in a predictable fashion, as smart as a roomba. Probably less.
It wasn’t just the counting of the seconds that helped me, but the shifting tone of the wands’ whines. At the last second, I turned and rushed the treant. It didn’t show a hint of surprise, or a hint of a flinch. It didn’t show any emotion.
I ran past it, turned and shot straight into its wide open back. This time it worked. I closed my eyes as wooden splinters exploded out in every direction, showering the area in dead wood and bits of bark.
[Evolution Points gained: 2]
A portal opened up next to the scattered, vanishing remains of the boss. Three items glowed bright on the ground before me.
[Steel Fork]
[Petrified Wood, Greater Quality]
[t2] Void Dungeon: Courtyard
* Portal uses: 6; Duration: 2 hours
* +11% Experience / +11% Item Quantity
* 29% increased monster action speed
Darya ran past me, with a horde of slowed Blutleeches in tow.
I gave her a thumbs up. “You’re doing great, keep it up!”
She growled, but didn’t say anything, turned and shot again and again. I picked up the chunk of wood and was surprised by how solid and heavy it felt in my hand. It looked like a fossilized relic, but retained the essence of wood, frozen in a timeless state of stone. The surface displayed a mosaic of warm earthy tones, and intricate patterns. To the touch it conveyed a surprising smoothness. If there ever was a material to make a powerful wand out of, this was it.
Darya was still at it, so I opened up the Evolution screen from my Status. I had 13 Evolution points, but also had some very serious doubts about using them.
Spiked tail? Bone plates? Gills? Seriously? No thanks. Turtle shell? Fur? I already had scales, thank you very much. I chuckled at Blubber. Poisonous skin? Well, that would be ideal if I never wanted any woman to touch me or get close again. Hooves? Tentacles? Whiskers? Noxious Spray? Ugh. No, no, and no. I could see their uses, but come on, I didn’t want to end up looking like a circus freak.
Some of the amazing options upgraded the horns to give an extra passive or skill point slot. Also an upgrade to increase experience gained. That one sounded ideal, but I wasn’t entirely sure how it would make me look. Would I grow another horn or something? Four was plenty, and I liked the symmetry of them. I didn’t want to end up looking like some damn unicorn if it popped out right in the middle of my forehead.
Mana related evolution points started in the fifties and went up to a hundred. Stuff like Faster Mana Regeneration, Increased Maximum Mana, Faster Casting Speed and Lowered cooldowns. The really good stuff that I’d consider getting, as it didn’t seem like it would change how I looked, was expensive. Things like Increase Lung Capacity, Immune System boost, Bleeding Reduction and so on. All the internal organ stuff, and not on the outside for everyone to gawk at.
A few seemed alright, and I could even purchase one now. Stronger bones. Why drink milk when you can just evolve better bones instead? Feeling a bit anxious, I decided to summon up the courage and to go for it. What could possibly go wrong?