Chapter 28
(Mushroom head)
Shortly after the first tentacle crashed onto the rubble-strewn trail, it was quickly joined by another. Then, two more shot up from below and latched onto the walls above where the party stood. The now-visible suction cups on the underside of the tentacles were large and gray and pulsated as they attached themselves to the stone; their grip steadily intensifying as they held tenaciously to the wall. Across the vast expanse of the cavern, they watched in awe as even more tentacles slithered up, attaching themselves to the other sides in the same manner.
The orange glow, emanating from below, grew in intensity as the tentacle's numbers multiplied, more and more jutting upward and joining with the others already grasping the walls of the cylindrical cavern. And then, like a surreal nightmare slowly taking shape before their eyes, a massive entity began to emerge from the cavern's depths.
Jarow's mind struggled to comprehend the sheer scale of what he was witnessing; never before had he beheld a creature so large. The centipede in which he had ridden inside of its mouth would be but a mere insect to the monster being pulled up by the giant tentacles.
From what the party could see from their vantage point was a massive humanoid head, but the sheer scope of it dwarfed anything he had ever seen before, and Jarow could only speculate as to what the rest of this monstrous body could be. Even the head he could see was only vaguely humanoid, its features wrapping around its entirety rather than having a singular face.
This colossal head, towering at least 500 feet tall, was obviously being lifted up by the massive array of tentacles now clinging to the walls of the cavern, their origin as of yet unseen somewhere below. What was visible, as the thing rose higher into the air, was a dense forest of speckled, glowing orange mushrooms, the type of mushroom with a long stalk and umbrella-shaped top. The thickly dense array of fungi sprouted directly at the top of the massive head. This fungi’s orange hue emitted the ethereal orange glow that now completely bathed the cavern in its eerie light.
With each spasmodic upward movement, the mushrooms atop the towering entity released a cascade of spores, which filled the air with a mesmerizing cloud of glowing orange particles that swiftly pushed outward in a tsunami where the spores clung to the walls and disappeared. It was a scene of surreal beauty but also primal terror; a spectacle that defied all rational explanation but left the party spellbound by the sight of it.
Directly below the glowing forest of fungi, which came into view as the monster rose higher, was a tangle of sinister black, writhing forms. This second layer resembled dark, flowing hair as much as anything on this head resembled humanoid features. As this new aspect of the entity came into view and the fungal forest rose higher into the air, the glowing forest took on the appearance of a small hat, sitting atop the undulating mass beneath.
The dark, wriggling "hair" jutted out in all directions, each strand apparently an individual entity, resembling an elongated serpent with a large, hissing mouth and sharp fangs. These snake-like strands of hair writhed and struck out at anything within reach. They were short on targets though, so primarily targeted each other as they vied for territory. When a snake was struck by another, a dark brown liquid oozed from the wounds and dripped to the depths below, leaving the injured snake to droop limply as its lifeblood seeped out.
As the head continued to ascend, revealing more of its grotesque features, the party beheld the monster’s scaly-looking skin which started below the line of snake-hair. This next layer was quickly being streaked with the brown blood from the snakes above, the rivulets running down and into the hundreds of eyes sticking out at chaotic intervals; each moving independently and displaying a unique iris of deep, varying hues.
The eyes looked around uncoordinatedly, none seeming able to focus on the same point, but when one of the eyes seemed to look in the party’s direction, as they stood somewhat hidden amidst the rubble of the trail, a sense of dread accompanied its glare. Luckily, the gaze never lasted long, but the eyes were too numerous to miss finding them completely. The weight of their gaze fell upon the party repeatedly as they ducked behind the boulders and watched the monstrous head continue to rise.
Below the layer with the multitude of eyes lay a series of gaping mouths. The mouths were fewer in number but exponentially larger in size than the roving eyes. These monstrous maws, each capable of easily chomping down a human-sized creature with its razor-sharp, sword-like teeth, moved with an unsettling rhythm and emitted a strange, grating sound as their lips curled open and shut.
As a mouth would open, a long, flickering tongue would emerge. The tongues were crimson in color and coated with a viscous mucus which glistened in the eerie glow of the mushroom light. These elongated tongues were thicker and longer than those of ordinary serpents. Rather than flickering out to taste the air, these tongues slathered the sides of the mouths with their dripping secretions and occasionally stretched out to lick the cavern walls, leaving a trail of glistening slime in their wake.
In the space underneath the mouths, the long, sinewy orange tentacles that served as the monster's means of traversing the cavern stretched out. These huge appendages suspended the creature in the center of the vast chamber as it scaled the walls in its jerky fashion.
As the party could more closely observe the huge writhing orange tentacles now, they noticed that nestled inside each of the sucker pads on the tentacles were barbed yellow spikes, which added an even more menacing feel to their already imposing visage. These humongous appendages wriggled and flexed as they detached from the wall where they held on only to shoot upwards in search of their next anchor point so they could continue to ascend the tube-like cave.
Finally, as the colossal head ascended to a height slightly higher than the area where the party stood, the apparent underside of this monstrous creature came into view. Rather than a body with arms and legs, hanging from below this creature was a network of tangled roots, which apparently emerged from the posterior of the creature. The dark brown, woody appearance of the roots created a chaotic labyrinth that obscured the party’s view. However, amidst the dense mass of roots, there was one striking exception: a small source of light emanating from deep within.
This light, distinct from the orange glow enveloping the cavern from the fungal forest, held a serene quality that stood in stark contrast to the chaos surrounding it. It cast a gentle, light blue hue infused with hints of emerald and purest white, its shades dancing and shifting with each passing moment. Though its source remained obscured by the entangling roots, its tranquil glow captivated the party and offered a brief respite from the terror still climbing upward.
Each of the party members was mesmerized by the light. It was unlike anything they had ever seen before: beautiful, peaceful, and imbued with a sense of hope and courage.
“Suzerain, is this not why we are here?” Xinpo's voice echoed in Jarow's mind, filled with awe from the light filtering through the roots. Xinpo didn’t "see" like a normal person, his aura only extending out a limited distance which made Jarow briefly wonder how it was that his companion had been able to perceive the light which glowed at the center of the rooted area.
“Yes, it definitely is,” Jarow affirmed to the blade, thoughts of how Xinpo could know of the light’s presence escaping his mind in the soft glow he felt captivated by.
It took a long moment for him to break the spell, and Jarow shook his head to clear it, but his mind finally returned to the present, allowing him to tear his gaze away. He needed to figure out a plan to get to the source of the light, but it quickly became apparent to him that this was something the rest of the party would not survive.
The sheer size of the creature, the journey to the light, and the uncertainty of what awaited him after obtaining it—these were his burdens, his problems to deal with. But for the rest of the party, his friends, he understood now that they would only be a hindrance. Perhaps not physically so much, but definitely emotionally, since Jarow would be constantly concerned for their well-being and their eventual escape.
For him, death was acceptable and the most likely outcome now. It was a part of his existence, just part of the way things went for him; but he knew that was not the case for others. He looked with a heavy heart at the members of his party. He knew he had to part with them here, and he doubted he would ever meet them again; his life was just too chaotic. He would miss them, but he knew in this moment that it was best for him to tackle this next part on his own. They had fulfilled their contract by keeping him alive through this dungeon, but now it was time for them to take their leave.
“Suhry, Isilandra, Mediv, and Grolluk,” Jarow began in a more formal tone that he usually used, “you have completed your task. There is nothing more you can do to assist me from here on out.” Jarow addressed each member of the party in turn. “I am grateful for your assistance and sincerely hope our paths cross again.”
The party members listened to Jarow's words, though their understanding of them was still somewhat clouded by the captivating light emanating from the tangled roots hanging from the bottom of the monstrosity before them. Accompanying the light were ominous moans coming from the mouths of the beast; they filled the air around them, causing a sense of dread to permeate the area.
Slowly, they pulled their gaze away and turned to look at Jarow, his words finally sinking in.
“Suhry, can you still create a portal to transport everyone away from here?” Jarow asked as he directed his attention to the mysterious woman.
“Yes, I believe I can,” she responded, her focus shifting from the distractions in the center of the cavern to Jarow's urgent request.
“Good. Then get everyone out of here now!” Jarow commanded, his tone filled with urgency and determination.
The unusual gruffness in Jarow’s voice fully brought the rest of the party members out of the spell of the glow. Their attention now turning to thoughts of escape.
“What?” Suhry asked, not yet comprehending Jarow’s apparent sacrifice. The sentiment was mirrored by the others.
“This last part is up to me. Get out before this monster decides to attack,” Jarow said, attempting valiantly to hold back the tears threatening to emerge.
“But Jarow, if we leave…” Isilandra said but allowed her voice to trai off at the end.
Suhry could see the determination on Jarow’s face and understood his final intentions. She nodded back to him, acknowledging her understanding, then turned towards the wall. She raised her hands and began chanting under her breath.
Jarow turned to Isilandra, Mediv, and Grolluk, his gaze steady as he spoke. “Your job is complete now. You won’t survive if you stay here. I will be okay, and maybe even see you guys again,” he added this last part with great reservation. His life was chaotic at the best of times, and if or when he came back, he doubted he’d have the opportunity to join them again but didn’t have the nerve to say that out loud. “Watch out for any weird system messages, who knows right?”
Jarow smiled and turned to each of them as Suhry lightly chanted behind them.
The three of them looked at Jarow and then at each other. It was obvious to Jarow that these people had been a team for long enough to understand the simple gestures, looks, and nods which they shared now. They communicated without having to use words. Their glances told the other’s that Suhry had acknowledged their need to leave already, and that Jarow had to complete this mission on his own, that their presence would only complicate what he had to do. The small nods told each other that they understood and agreed to leave without Jarow, but they did so unwillingly.
Their decision made, Mediv stepped forward and shook Jarow’s hand, but he couldn't leave without questioning Jarow one last time, “Are you certain of this? I don’t see how you will be able to survive.”
Jarow smiled a sad smile at the now feline-hybrid. He looked the man in the eyes, noticing the way his fur extended out of the sides of his face, giving him the look of a tiger rather than a jungle cat. “Let’s just say that you are not the only one who gets to have a new body. If we meet again, I doubt I will look anything like I do now.”
This caused Mediv’s eyebrow to raise. Isilandra, who couldn't help but overhear the conversation, looked at Jarow curiously as well.
Grolluk, either not hearing or not understanding, moved in and gave Jarow a huge, not so fresh, hug, causing Mediv to release his grasp and back away. Despite the Orc’s pungent aroma, Jarow gripped the huge man tightly, returning the sentiment and feeling the joy and sadness of having met him and the rest of the team.
“Thanks, big guy,” Jarow managed to say after he was released from Grolluks’ huge arms.
“Don’t die. You still need to see how good these boots work,” Grolluk said and gave Jarow a big smile.
Jarow chuckled at that, noticing Mediv and Isilandra’s lips turn up as well.
From behind, they heard Suhry speak a word louder than the rest, and could feel a portal open up near the wall. Instead of the stormy sky, with thunder rumbling until the glowing white clouds appeared and the sun streaked through, this portal appeared almost instantaneously, bypassing the stormy clouds entirely. The circular opening showed a radiant golden arch with white sunlit clouds swirling within, and warm golden sunlight spilled out into the darkness of the humongous cavern.
The radiant illumination caught the eye, or rather multiple eyes, of the monstrous head climbing the walls, and they all felt the oppressive glare focus on them.
"Get going!" Jarow yelled, shooing the party away.
They all quickly nodded and began moving through before the entity moved closer. The sensation of added weight and a sense of doom from being stared at by so many eyes encouraged their rapid exit. Suhry had not had the chance to say goodbye, but their time was gone. Before she walked through the portal, being the last one to step through, she gave him a small, sad smile. The look told him that she felt the loss of losing him but honored his sacrifice to allow their escape. The portal disappeared seconds after she did, leaving Jarow once again in the darkness of the cavern, the weight from the eyes slowly dissipating as the light abruptly cut off.
Jarow felt tears running over his furry cheeks and sniffed hard. “I have to do this,” he told himself, wiping away the wetness. He had to find his determination and resolve to do what had to be done. With his friends away and safe, he turned around to face the final boss before him. He could feel more than see several of the large eyes still focusing on him, their pressure pressing down on him and making him feel almost like he were underwater. Then he watched as one of the tentacles dislodged from the wall above him and began falling directly where he was standing.
That was it. He couldn't wait here any longer; the tentacle was his first obstacle. He didn’t have time to worry about his new friends and whether he would see them again. They were safe, and that was all that mattered. Now he had a job to do, an object to acquire, and… He actually didn’t know after that, but he knew right now that he had to move. Jarow instantly activated Aural Armor, the small aura-shield surrounding him. Then he did something he’d been waiting for: he activated the newest feature of Passe-partout.
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This was the first time Jarow had attempted a line-of-sight teleport. He aimed for the tangle of roots underneath the monstrous head, but from the distance, he hadn't truly understood the size of the roots. So when he reappeared from the teleport, he arrived exactly where he had aimed, but fell several feet and smashed down onto the large, round, wooden surface below. The root he landed on felt like a huge tree trunk, with rough bark and a thick layer of dirt covering it.
As he landed, his back striking on the thick root, with a whoosh, all the air was ejected from his lungs. Jarow gasped in an attempt to restart his breathing process, but his lungs seemed incapable of moving. It took several moments before he was able to once again inhale, and several more moments for him to catch his breath after landing so hard.
“Ow. That hurt,” he both mentally and physically groaned. “I can’t believe how huge this thing is though,” he thought to Xinpo while he lay there recovering.
“It is rather large. My senses cannot detect its entire mass. I can’t even see far enough into the tangle to see the item which is producing the light,” Xinpo replied.
“How did you even know it was there then?” Jarow asked, the question resurfacing from earlier.
“I can somehow feel its presence, even though I cannot actually sense it within the range of my aura. It is a most peculiar feeling, one I have not experienced before. It is as though the item in question is calling out to me,” Xinpo replied.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
That was an interesting concept. Jarow contemplated the similarity to how it seemed to call to him and the others as well. It had all but frozen them in its magical light. Apparently, it somehow worked the same on Xinpo. Jarow wondered if that was important in some way but filed that information for future exploration as he had to focus on his immediate task for now.
After catching his breath, Jarow stood up and balanced on the giant root. Passe Partout had a thirty-second cooldown when used as a quick teleport, and the cooldown timer was just ending. He sighted in through the thick vegetation as far as he could see in preparation for his next jump, then activated the teleport power once again, this time shortening the jump, not only because he didn’t have as clear of a view but also so that he could clearly see the root on which he wanted to land.
This time, when he appeared post-teleport, Jarow was ready and looked down as he landed adeptly on his selected target. The root was only a couple of feet below him, and he easily stuck the landing.
“We are not alone, suzerain,” Xinpo warned as soon as Jarow found his balance.
Jarow could see small creatures moving rapidly to his location out of the corner of his eye. He still had thirty seconds before he could make what he hoped would be the final teleport, so he had to keep himself safe until then.
He pulled his sword from his belt. Xinpo generally stayed in sword form unless asked to change now, which was convenient both for Xinpo and for Jarow as well, since he generally favored the sword now.
The small creatures moved quickly, darting from one root to another. As they drew nearer, Jarow could tell they weren’t large, perhaps the size of a raccoon, but quick and agile as they easily traversed the labyrinthine area.
Within moments, the first creature leapt at him. Jarow saw three large claws aiming directly for his face. He adeptly raised Xinpo and deflected the creature. It fell to the root he was standing on, and Jarow could take in its details. Covered in stringy white fur, it had large arms with three toes at the end of each appendage. Each toe had a large claw, which is what it had tried to attack Jarow with. It had large round eyes which on a creature not so dangerous would most likely be cute. But its snarling mouth and large canine teeth protruding down over it’s slightly elongated snout removed any cuteness it may have possessed.
He used Identify before stabbing down and ending the creature.
Super Sloth: these unintelligent creatures are quick and nimble, unlike what their name implies. They have large front claws which can cause Infection with a successful attack. They like to bite too.
“Really, that’s it?” Jarow thought to himself. He quickly dismissed the window since he could see movement from around the translucent window’s edge. Another of the Super Sloths was leaping at him from another angle.
Jarow turned to the side to let the creature fly by him, but apparently, the creature's reflexes were quick, and it reached out its long arm and snagged Jarow's bicep as it passed. It dug its claws in and held on tight enough to stop its forward momentum and pivot mid-air. It brought its body back around where it grabbed onto Jarow again with its other clawed hand right next to his tail.
The piercing claws caused Jarow to scream out. “OW! Motherfuc–” He was cut off by a new sharp pain as the Super Sloth bit down on his shoulder. A warning system message flashed near the portrait of his body, and the area of his shoulder flared in red as did his arm and right bottock.
You are infected with Sloth Bite: Sloth Bite causes increasing damage over time until it is cured. HP [ -4 ] every 10 seconds.
Before Jarow could deal with the first creature hanging from his shoulder, a second of the sloths landed on Jarow’s back, striking from his blindside. Xinpo had sounded a warning, but Jarow couldn’t react in time. The second Super Sloth dug its claws in and bit Jarow on the back of the neck. The bright red system message flashed again, but with a new "x2" at the end.
Pain radiated down Jarow’s back from the bite, and he could feel the trickle of hot blood running down his spine, soaking through his fur. He had dealt with numerous injuries while fighting in this place, especially during the first few hours where they had to deal with the massive onslaught from their portal appearing, but he had help then, he had Isilandra to heal him. This time, though, he was on his own, and it took him a few moments to remember that fact and that he could still heal himself.
Jarow cast Minor Heal, but it did little other than stop the blood from flowing. Unfortunately, the spell only provided an insignificant amount of healing for him now, especially with the greater amount of HP he had at his level. The silvery liquid-light jumped from his left hand into his wounds but didn’t provide nearly the cooling, ticklish sensation he had grown used to under the female elf’s administrations.
Jarow was still caught in the two Super Sloth's grip, and he could see others moving in. His next teleport was still cooling down, but he knew he needed to be free of these annoying creatures before he could make another jump.
Another Super Sloth launched into the fray, springing between two roots to Jarow’s left, its claws poised to strike at his leg. Jarow caught the attack from the corner of his eye, but was already prepared; he activated Frozen Moment, halting the sloth mid-leap.
While the creatures surrounding him were caught within the temporal stasis, he looked around and could see two more of the agile creatures hurtling towards him, their forms distant but rapidly approaching.
He decided it was time to deal with these pesky little monsters. Jarow, with a swift mental command, engaged Spatial Exchange, swapping the mid-leap jumping sloth with the one clinging tenaciously to his shoulder. The sudden place swap would leave the jumping sloth on a trajectory away from him, while the other would simply fall to the ground since it had no momentum. That would leave both creatures disoriented and off-balance. He glanced over his shoulder to verify and could tell the jumping sloth was now positioned so that its leap would carry it away from him.
Next, Jarow cast Temporal Inversion upon the sloth clamped onto his neck. Time twisted and warped around the creature, accelerating its aging process with alarming speed. Fur fell away in clumps, revealing wrinkled, weathered skin beneath. Its teeth rapidly decayed and crumbled within its still-frozen mouth, freeing Jarow from its bite. Its claws shrank, pulling away from his skin until they too broke off and fell to the ground like brittle twigs.
Before Frozen Moment ended, Jarow decided to take care of the two incoming enemies as well. With two quick casts of Molecular Bonding, he merged the molecular essence of two distant sloths, using the wooden root as the counter-agent. Their bodies transmuted into wooden sculptures, suspended in midair.
Once the ten seconds of the power's timer ended, the world around him began to move once more. Jarow watched the bewildered sloth in mid-air behind him flail helplessly as it flew away, carried by its previous leap’s momentum.
The one which he had exchanged it with was left without the scrumptious body to which it was attached, so it fell unceremoniously to a root below. It flailed as it attempted to grab onto anything around to catch it, but its claws met only empty air.
Meanwhile, the sickening thump of the now ancient sloth behind him could be heard as its brittle bones shattered upon impact with the root upon which Jarow stood. It moaned in agony as it struck then rolled off the side.
The two, now wooden, sloths clattered off roots as they fell. They struck several, knocking each time, as they bumped their way downward like Plinko chips to their final destination: the abyss below.
Jarow smirked, this was his forte; his class's specialty. He excelled in sowing chaos and dealing swift death to his foes with precise setups. While he could hold his own as a tank when needed, his true strength lay in his ability to introduce the element of unpredictability, unleashing unknown effects and debilitating debuffs upon his adversaries.
The button for Passe Partout lit up in Jarow’s UI, as the cooldown timer ended, and Jarow looked once again towards the light in the distance. His fingers glowed once again as he continued to heal his injuries and looked for another suitable target closer still to the light source. Once found, he activated the power again and disappeared from that location, a sloth leaping through where he had just been.
He could hear the enraged cries of the sloths as he left, their frantic attempts to converge upon his location just became futile as he vanished into thin air, leaving them bewildered and confused.
Jarow's aim proved true as he materialized from his quick teleport and lightly touched down on the root he had spied. He now had a clear view of the source of the radiant light. It was nestled between two smaller-than-normal roots which formed a U shape, a saddle or cradle of sorts.
In the saddle lay the unexpected object of his search: a glowing staff. However, retrieving it wasn't as simple as reaching in and taking it. The staff was ensnared not only in a cage of wooden bars, but also by what looked like thin tendrils that coiled around it, firmly anchoring it in place upon the saddle within the cage.
Fixated by the mesmerizing light before him, Jarow found himself unable to tear his gaze away from the staff as it lay there within its prison. Jarow attempted to use Identify, but apparently, the staff itself was crafted from an enigmatic material, which defied his Identify ability. Its surface resembled marble, smooth and unyielding, yet streaked through with subtle colorful patterns that caused the luminescent material to ripple and shimmer.
The radiance emanating from the staff was projected from deep inside the staff’s shaft. It glowed brightly with a brilliance which should be overwhelming to Jarow’s eyes, but despite its luminosity, the light posed no discomfort to Jarow's eyes. Instead, its ever-shifting hues seemed to bathe him in a soothing calmness, easing his mind and body in its gentle embrace.
Jarow reached forward to try and reach the staff, to test its bindings. Only a small tangle of roots twined around the staff, the sole barrier between him and his mission objective. He mentally asked Xinpo to revert to a dagger, and he felt the metal shrink and morph in his hand. The hilt remained unchanged, but the wood from the Oonja seed extended further into his grip, conforming to his fingers and enhancing its form-fitting nature.
With the smaller blade in hand, he extended his arms and began swiping and prying at the delicate roots. The material, far less dense than the surrounding wooden growth, yielded easily to his swift swipes. Once it was cleared of the constricting embrace of the tendrils, Jarow finally grasped the glowing staff.
As his fingers clasped around the illuminated rod, he felt the curious nature of the material of the item for the first time. It felt almost soft, like he was touching flesh rather than the rigid material it looked to be. Yet, despite its deceptively supple and slightly springy texture, the staff possessed an immense weight. Jarow strained as he attempted to lift the rod from its cradle, his arms and shoulders burning with the exertion of lifting the staff.
It took several moments and more effort than he expected, but he was finally able to lift the object free. Of course, once he had, the area lurched in response. The entire root system he was within, dangling from the bottom of the monstrous creature above, began to tremble violently.
The tremors extended far beyond the underbelly of the creature. The monstrous mouths above began to echo with an incredible cacophony of roars and moans. The sound reverberated off the cavern walls, off the roots, the boulders, even the creature itself. The entire cavern seemed to shake and vibrate with the reflecting echoes of the mouths above.
The entire world surrounding Jarow and the beast throbbed in response to the deafening howls. The cavern shook and vibrated with an intensity that left Jarow reeling. He could hear nothing but the amplified growls and moans echoing from above. Hot blood trickled down the sides of his head, his ears leaking the fluid as his eardrums burst. The sound didn’t quiet though; it was felt deep within, a thrumming which couldn’t be escaped.
"This is not good," Jarow thought to himself, the only intelligible thought able to pierce through the overwhelming din surrounding him.
"Indeed, suzerain," Xinpo added, the tremors resonating through the very metal of his blade, "I believe this is the exact opposite of good."
He had yet to remove the glowing staff from the cage surrounding it, so he pushed his body further against the wooden bars to get closer to the staff. The added reach enabled him to use both hands to lift it and move it free of the cage. He reached in and strained to lift the rod, but several more small root tendrils rapidly grew from the cradle and shot upward to wrap around the staff in an attempt to hold it in place.
Jarow was having a difficult time lifting the staff in the first place, and the added challenge of the seemingly sentient weeds attempting to tie the staff back down thwarted him further. His mind raced amidst the painful noise coming from the mouths above, which reverberated through the cavern. The vibrations coursing through his body seemed to slow his brain's efficiency.
Then, as though the entire world had come to a halt, the sound suddenly ended, though not completely. The resonance still pulsed through Jarow, leaving behind a ringing in his ears and a sensation like the cacophony still echoed softly in the background of his hearing. But he could somewhat hear once more, if only dimly.
As if to reiterate his ability to hear, Jarow thought he could just make out the screams of Super Sloths behind him, as well as the faint sound of wood breaking. The realization that those small yet brutal creatures could have survived the waves of sound and were now moving towards him caused Jarow to chance a look behind him to ascertain his safety.
In the distance, Jarow could see the small whitish figures leaping from root to root. They were indeed heading in his direction, but as his gaze moved beyond them, he spotted the real threat: the large orange tentacle crashing through the tangle of roots, heading directly towards him.
The huge appendage tore through the trunk-thick roots, shattering them like small twigs in its wake as it surged towards Jarow, who sat there, still attempting to free the staff.
“Well shit, that’s not good! What do we do?” Jarow urgently asked Xinpo.
An itching sensation started at the back of Jarow's neck, a sign of Xinpo's contemplation. Quickly scanning his interface for a solution, Jarow spotted the button for Decreased Friction which sparked a desperate idea. He frantically wished to any powers that be, that he could use the power on the staff to make it lighter, then activated the ability with a mental press of the button.
But of course, the spell didn’t work.
Not feeling the stupid heavy staff get any lighter, Jarow mentally cursed and reconsidered his options. He saw the Dispel button, but was unwilling to risk ruining the staff to dispel the roots around it, so canceled that thought.
The tentacle continued its rampage through the roots, overtaking the Super Sloths and sending them plummeting into the abyss below. Jarow heard their screams as they fell, adding to the chaos and anxiety of the scene.
The tip of the tentacle was closing in fast, much faster than he had thought possible, and a severe feeling of dread began creeping into Jarow. His brain betrayed him, imagining his death before retrieving the rod and having to do this all over again, if that were even possible.
“Suzerain, can you pull the staff into your inventory?” Xinpo's urgent plea matched the itching at the back of Jarow’s neck which had grown in intensity with each passing moment.
Doubtful but with no better alternatives, Jarow attempted to place the staff into his inventory, only to be met with an error message.
The Large Staff of Eternal Binding will not fit in a single slot. Please designate a total of four open slots in order to put The Large Staff of Eternal Binding into your inventory.
That was not the error message Jarow had expected to see. He quickly reread the text in the window, expecting to see something telling him the staff had to be free of entanglement or that it was not allowed.
“Large Staff? I mean it’s heavy, but is it really that large?” Jarow thought to himself, but the crashing of trees behind immediately brought his focus back. He quickly dismissed the error window and thought of four adjoining slots for the staff to occupy, meeting the needs of the message.
As he mentally instructed the staff to enter the four adjoining slots, the ominous rip in the fabric of reality appeared before him. He had never been so relieved to see the break in space-time appear. This time, however, the void appeared not separate from him, but around the center of the staff itself.
The crack in reality tore open in front of Jarow's eyes, expanding and lengthening to encompass the entire length of the staff as well as Jarow’s hands, which still gripped it firmly. Then, with a frightening whoosh, Jarow watched the staff, his hands, and the tendrils still entwining it all disappear into the void.
The tear began to rapidly decrease, the darkness coming together like a zipper, and Jarow quickly withdrew his hands in fear they would be pulled in as well. Then, with a final spot of darkness, the void space closed, and small green shoots fell to the saddle within the cage.
Jarow kept his Inventory window open and looked to verify the staff’s occupancy of the four slots he had designated. A sense of fulfillment overcame him as he saw it there. He had completed his task.
With the removal of the staff, the light it emanated disappeared as well, leaving Jarow mostly blind to what was happening around him. His eyes took several moments to adjust to the faint orange glow rather than the glaring soft light the staff produced which he had been intently focused on.
Despite his temporary blindness, Jarow could still feel more than hear the large tentacle racing towards him. However, he no longer felt an urgency to move. His task in this body was complete. He hadn't minded being a gnoll. “There isn’t a lot different about being a Gnoll compared to other bodies, other than the fur and paws, which were kinda cool,” he thought to himself.
He briefly wondered why his sense of smell wasn't as heightened as much as he would have expected, yet he definitely had better hearing than usual. He recalled seeing his image in the mirror in the room he had woken in, his ears stuck almost straight up. He had watched them twitch as he listened to the bustle from downstairs. He hadn’t really used his hearing much, although that barrage of sound which came from the mouths above had been rough. He vaguely wondered if the Super Sloths weren’t as affected by their roar because their ears were tiny.
Those wandering thoughts were abruptly brought to an end as the tentacle smashed into him, knocking his body completely through the trunk-sized root he was laying over after completing his mission, and pushing him through the cage and saddle where the staff had been.
He careened through the roots propelled by the large appendage. It didn’t strike him or attack in any way; it just pushed. Crushed by the power of the tentacle, he was jarred multiple times against the huge roots until his body finally just slipped off the end of the tentacle and he began falling.
Initially assuming the tentacle had come for him, he reconsidered. Maybe it couldn’t distinguish between his body and the wood. "It’s not like it has eyes," he mused.
He slapped hard against a large trunk, his body broken and limp, but slid off after a few seconds and continued to fall. Tumbling and careening off several more roots like a pinball, he made his way through the tangle until finally landing lengthwise on a wide bough.
Observing the huge orange appendage come to a stop, he noted it had reached as far as it could, extending over half the entire length of the monster’s girth. Instead of withdrawing, it began swaying from side to side.
His eyes adjusted to the much dimmer orange glow from the mushrooms atop the monster’s head, allowing Jarow to watch as the entire root system attached to the monster above was being broken off. It fell in broken pieces and splinters, raining over him in his new perch.
Glancing at his HP bar, he noted he was still at a quarter of his health. Moving his eyes up to the portrait of his body, he saw flashing red covering the entire thing. He assumed from the portrait showing injuries covering his entire body, that his spine was shattered or in some way compromised. That was ok though, he didn't intend to fight his demise this time anyway. It was inevitable, and he had accepted that when he had sent his team away. Jarow was simply happy he could complete the mission.
The root he was nestled on shook and began to fall, struck by the flailing tentacle above. Jarow slid off the side and began his descent. He couldn't be one hundred percent certain that he would come back after this death, now that he was no longer in the ‘training zone,’ but in his heart, he felt that he would.
He was on a journey now. Having completed the first task and retrieved the staff, he believed that whoever was controlling his messages and his life wouldn't let him die now, not when the journey had really just begun.
“Suzerain, I feel there is something more that needs to happen if I am to stay with you this time,” Xinpo’s voice cut through his musings.
“What?” Jarow asked worriedly. The idea of losing Xinpo terrified him. “What do you mean?”
“I am uncertain, suzerain. It feels as though something is not yet complete. I am afraid I will remain here forever if you do not figure out how to take me with you,” Xinpo's voice held a real sense of fear.
Jarow was frightened now as well. There had been times he had to go and retrieve Xinpo after he had reincarnated, but in circumstances where that wasn’t possible, his companion had just appeared as he woke. Jarow somehow assumed that would be the case this time as well.
But things had changed. He wasn’t sure what would happen once he died this time. Xinpo could be right. He was past the training, there was no Liminal Divide to respawn in. Xinpo had chosen to live with Jarow, and Shayri had said that his choice would limit Xinpo’s lifespan to that of his Jarow’s own. If he died, then Xinpo might as well.
He suddenly realized he was falling fast, and no matter how far down the floor was, he would reach it relatively quickly. His brain began working overtime.
“What could this mean? Why couldn’t Xinpo reappear with me? What would I need to complete for him to be able to leave this place? What should I do?”
The orange light from the mushrooms above the monster’s head was fading quickly, and Jarow knew it would be only moments before he hit the bottom. He knew he couldn’t place Xinpo in his inventory because he was a living being. He had tried that before, it seemed so long ago, but there must be a way he could somehow take him along.
Then an idea came to him. He wasn't sure how to do it, and he was even less sure it would work, but the name of the staff gave him the clue: Large Staff of Eternal Binding. Jarow quickly cast his Minor Heal spell, willing it to allow him to move once more. He saw the liquid-light appear on his fingertips, only to be instantly absorbed once again. The cooling sensation of the spell did as he wanted, and Jarow felt the tickle of magic move into his back. It was as though a stream of cool water trickled from his neck to his tail as he felt his spine knit together.
Then the pain assailed him: apparently his nerves had been severed, leaving him without feeling the pain of the wounds covering his body. But the spell had not only fused the bone so that he could move, but reattached the nerves as well. Jarow instantly felt every broken bone, every laceration, each bruise and scrape, and every internal organ that had ruptured, all at once.
The violent barrage of sensations overwhelmed Jarow’s mind and left him reeling and unable to breathe. His brain screamed out in agony and forgot everything but the suffering he was going through.
“Suzerain… Jarow.” The small voice broke through Jarow’s misery, filled with urgency, which caused him to remember exactly why he had allowed this to happen. He rarely heard Xinpo use his actual name, which caused his broken mind to take note and try to focus, to push the pain to the side for the moment and accomplish his goal.
It took everything he had, but Jarow finally opened his eyes and saw the huge monster above growing smaller by the second. Jarow’s circumstances came crashing back to him in that instant, his sense of dread, not from dying, but from losing his companion finally overriding his pain receptors.
He opened his Inventory window and summoned the staff to his free hand. The weight of the staff caused him to spin in mid-air, increasing his falling speed. Jarow wrapped his broken fingers tightly around the staff, using every muscle he had to hold onto the incredibly heavy object.
Then Jarow said a prayer, sending a desperate plea to the universe. He asked the being looking over him for help, that what he was about to do would work, and that he wouldn’t lose Xinpo. His heart and soul went into that prayer; if this didn’t work, then he felt he would be forever broken.
Jarow grunted, his body barely functioning enough to bring the dagger to touch the staff. He cast the spells Molecular Fusion and Essence Transposition simultaneously upon the two weapons.
He watched as the glowing staff and Xinpo came together and fused, their molecules merging. The light from the staff flashed to a brilliant luminescence, blinding Jarow. He was reminded of the light from Complete Cleanse with its intensity. He closed his eyes tightly, and only once the light began to fade did he squint to see the end result.
Seeing wasn’t necessary though, just a hopeful thought. As soon as he felt the spells complete, he reopened his inventory and willed the staff back into the four slots he had just removed it from. There was only one weapon now. Xinpo and the staff had fused. This is what Jarow had hoped would happen. His spells were a success, at least he hoped.
However, there was one thing he was unsure of. He didn’t know if Xinpo would still be alive and sentient within the new weapon. Jarow hadn’t received an error message when combining the two, nor when adding the staff to his inventory, which didn’t bode well. But there was nothing else he could do now.
The light vanished with the staff's placement into the void of Jarow’s inventory. Then everything went dark, first from the lack of emitted light, then from Jarow’s body exploding upon impact against the ground of this unknown cavern on a planet he would never know.