I scoffed.
Various bugs had managed to get inside the Nexus. They had piggybacked in the soil that was brought in from the outside. Toads and lizards had crawled through the portal too, birds flew in. They made nests on top of the barracks. I hoped they were smart enough not to fly off into the Void and get devoured.
In a similar fashion, the orphans were the first to infiltrate the Nexus. They made it their playground, and I helped by building a five foot wall all around the perimeter so that they wouldn’t fall over the side. For twice the cost, I considered using taller, ten foot walls, but I figured it wouldn’t matter, they’d only see it as a challenge.
Behind the barracks I created a fun maze using walls. The village carpenters added slides and swings. Yet, just like cats, the kids were much more interested in running though the barracks, and going up the gatehouse. They’d hide among the raised beds, catch insects and toads, steal vegetables.
“Do you think there’s any sense in telling them not to enter the Nexus for the next couple of days?” I asked Darya.
She scoffed. “Go ahead and try, but it would only make them want to come here even more.”
“Hrm, yeah.” I took out a dungeon orb from my backpack.
* [t3] Void Dungeon: Granite Island
* Portal limit: 6
* 3 of the monsters are Elite
* 15 of the monsters are Empowered
* +23% Experience / +23% Item Quantity
“Let’s run this while we wait,” I said, and opened the portal.
“I hope the village will still be there when we return,” Darya said.
“You think they’ll do something?”
“I know they will.”
As I stepped onto Granite Island, I felt at peace with the rugged beauty that surrounded me. The ocean surrounding the place was a vast expanse of deep blue, its surface shimmering like a sea of diamonds. The air was filled with the scent of salt and the distant cries of seabirds. True to its name, the island was dominated by mass granite outcrops that seemed to rise defiantly from the churning sea.
The landscape was dotted with tide pools, each one a miniature world teeming with life. Along the shore, tiny crabs scuttled and seaweed swayed with the gentle push and pull of the water. The vibrant detail of the place amazed me.
My boots crunched over the landscape of jagged rock formations and patches of hardy vegetation. Against the gray stone, the vibrant wildflowers clung to life in the crevices. The granite itself was weathered and worn, smoothed in places by centuries of wind and waves.
With the way this place was wide open, it was perfect for Clashing Span’s Siege Mode. As we walked ahead, water rose up from nearby pools of water, coalescing into elementals. They shot freezing bolts in my direction, but did little against my armor, except making me feel frigid cold.
Darya didn’t waste time and started shooting. Her ice-imbued arrows connected, freezing large chunks of their watery bodies into solid ice, shattering them into fragments. I would have helped, but they were too close for Siege Mode.
“All yours,” I told Darya. “I’ll get the boss.”
“Nuh-uh, you got it last time.”
We had run all four variants of the tier three dungeons over the past week. In the process I received Evolution Points not only from the bosses, but the Empowered and Elite monsters too. Combined, I had forty-two points to spend, yet nothing from the list of evolutionary upgrades struck me as something I would risk getting. Who knows what the process would leave me looking like.
“I just switched to Siege Mode, and all these-”
“Just switch it back,” she said.
“It takes three minutes, you know that.”
“So? Relax and enjoy the scenery. It’s beautiful out here.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
I sat down on a smooth patch of granite, letting the tranquility of the moment wash over me. The island felt like a place out of time. Out here, worries of the outside world seemed distant and insignificant. I felt a deep sense of peace and connection to the natural world. The cool breeze grew stronger, carrying with it the distant sound of waves crashing against the rocks.
“Have you been to a real ocean before?” I asked her.
“Seen nothing bigger than a swamp.”
I scoffed. “That’s no way to live.”
“Does it look any different than here?”
“You know, I can’t say it does. This just about captures the feeling, sight, and the smell perfectly. It’s hard to believe it’s all just-”
“Fake?” she said.
“A little, right?”
“It’s funny ‘cause I feel more alive here than I do back home.”
This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“I know what you mean, but it really shouldn’t be that way.”
Darya gazed out in the distance. “I’m so tired of it. Sometimes I wish to- .. I wish ...”
“What?” I asked.
“Nothing, forget what I said. Are you ready yet?”
“Yeah, come on.”
In a bit of a competitive spirit, we decided to cut loose on the elementals. It didn’t matter if they were the Empowered or Elite variants, each one exploded into steam, or shattered into frozen chunks. We were heading straight for the center of the island where a large pool housed the boss of the island, a massive octopus. I didn’t keep score, and we didn’t try to clear every bit of the island before reaching the boss.
I watched from a distance as the surface of the pool bubbled and frothed, and then, with a mighty surge, an enormous octopus erupted from the depths. It let out a deep, rumbling growl that reverberated through the island. Its vast, bulbous head glistened with a slick, dark sheen, and its many eyes glowed with an unsettling intelligence. Its thick tentacles, lined with rows of powerful suckers, writhed and lashed out, sending sprays of water and debris flying in all directions.
The octopus's eyes locked onto Darya, and in that instant, the battle began. It lunged forward with astonishing speed, sent rocks flying to where she had been standing just moments before. She ran in wide circles around the creature, raining arrows down on it. The battle raged on, the cavern filled with the sounds of clashing tentacles, splashing water, and the roar of the mighty octopus.
Yet, she was struggling with the boss right from get go. Her [Ice Shots] were hitting the mark, but from what I saw, they weren’t doing much for damage. There was no hint of freezing, or even slowing the creature with the chill effect.
“Do you need some help?” I shouted to Darya.
“I’m fine!” she said, running in circles, dodging flung rocks and sprays of water.
It made me feel uneasy watching her, and I was ready to leap into action if it came down to it. The rodeo went on for another five minutes, and still little progress was being made when something ‘snapped’ into place inside me with a jolt. A sudden electrifying shock caught me by surprise. Sparks floated in my vision, and I clutched at my chest as burning pain spread through my body.
“What in the hell?” I spoke out loud, gritting my teeth. Moments later, the pain dissipated, leaving a tingling feeling, and myself baffled as to what happened.
I checked my status screen and was surprised to find a new entry just below Evolution. Additionally, my mana and mana regeneration had doubled from what it was before.
* Inner Mastery: [t1] Conjunction
I groaned.
I didn’t know why he started calling me ‘Boss,’ even though I sort of liked it. However, it made me even more suspicious of him. Was he buttering me up so I’d lower my guard with him? I still didn’t trust him one hundred percent. Who knew what that parasite was actually thinking?
There was no point in waiting for Darya to ask for help, she wasn’t the sort to do so. I raised my hand and cast [Boiling Tar Bomb.] Over a second, a clay canister, the size and weight of a baseball, materialized in my hand. It felt warm to the touch, and had a rough texture, making it easy to grip. I chucked it up in the air, and used [Telekinesis] to fling it straight to the boss.
The canister exploded like an ink blot, engulfing the side of the octopus in black, sticky tar. Then I [Leapt] ahead, landing mere yards from the tentacled monstrosity. It didn’t have a chance to react before I thumbed the bronze wands and unleashed an [Infernal Barrage.] Ten bolts of flame shot out in quick succession, blanketing my vision in red and orange. I shielded my eyes from the heat and flames.
Black smoke rose up into the air, and the octopus let out one last, earsplitting roar and collapsed back into the water. Its massive body sank slowly beneath the surface, the glow of its eyes fading into the depths. The island fell silent, save for the gentle lapping of the water and Darya’s heavy breathing.
“You alright there?” I asked her.
“Fine,” Darya said with her arms crossed at her chest.
***
Old Dog never liked his nickname, though it did ring true -- the gray in his beard had turned to white a few years back. He has known only one thing ever since he received his [Bounty Hunter] profession -- back in his younger years, back when his joints didn’t hurt and felt all stiff in the morning, and when his sight was still clear. The endless wandering. Catch this killer, find this murderer, traveling from city to city and inn to inn for days, months at a time.
Yet, his mind was still as sharp as a tack -- that hadn’t changed a smidgen. Hell, he was quite proud of the wisdom and experience he had gained over the years, and would be willing to pass it on to another Bounty Hunter, if he ever came across one. Such a thing wasn’t in his cards though.
The hunt was thrilling at first, but now he felt old and tired. Exhausted really, but he couldn’t retire. Bounty hunters were worked to their last breath. He was sure as hell he’d die on the road, somewhere in some forgotten part of the world. And even in that last moment he wouldn’t go without a bit of indignity. Some bloody noble, or a raider would be breathing down his neck, angry that he dared to die before completing the hunt.
Old Dog sighed, trying to ignore the incessant sobs of a villager, but it was proving to be difficult. The cornered teenager was berated by Edward, the leader of the group of four Raiders he was accompanying. The other three stood aside, talking among themselves, chuckling on occasion from whatever jokes they were telling each other.
The villagers disappeared out of sight as soon as they saw them arrive. He couldn’t blame them one bit -- the Raiders had a reputation. And while he had gotten fed up with them a long time ago, there was little he could do to avoid them.
This boy was caught in this hut near the center of the village. A hut full of shoddy furniture, straw floors, and more compacted piles along the walls. Just how many lived here?
“Well, did they come here or did they not?” Edward demanded from the boy.
“He doesn’t know, my lord. You should let him go,” Old Dog said in a tired tone.
Edward turned, raised his hand as if about to backhand him across the face. “Am I talking to you? Why don’t you shut the hell up?”
Old Dog looked back at Edward with an emotionless expression, unflinching from the threat -- he’s heard it all, felt it all before. This trip was pointless. Whoever managed to kill the two Raiders and the Tax Collector wouldn't be found in this backwater village. Moorhaven was it? How this village managed to continue to survive out here was beyond him. It looked like they had barely lived through the last Dark Night -- half the place was in ruins, and sadly that included the inn.
Instead of striking the Old Dog, Edward turned back to the boy, and slapped him across the face. He cried out, sunk to the floor, sobbing louder, tears and snot running down his face.
“Are you done with him? Want me to-” one of the three asked Edward.
“Yeah, get him out of my sight. And also …” He adjusted the belt at his waist. “I’ll need something soft to lie on at night. Get two more, but younger, like the ones at that- what was that place again, you remember?”
“The twins?”
He smirked. “Yeah, just like those two.” He turned to Old Dog. “And you, fetch me a meal.”
“The inn is destroyed,” he replied. “I don't think they have much to spare around here. Should I get some from-”
“No, I saw some chickens on the way in, and a cow.”
“Those were egg-laying chickens, and a milking cow, my lord.”
“What did I already tell you? Huh? What did I hire you for?” Edward shoved the Old Dog toward the door. “Get me the damn village chief here, and find the damn bastard who killed my brother!”