After struggling to skin the Minimole, Henry waddled over and decided to help. Surprised, I showed it what I wanted. It honked, produced a blade, and easily sliced through the hide. Very handy. Afterwards, we cut some meat from the minimole, for the nexos, and wrapped it in the hide. The process took about two hours.
Luke wanted to explore his new companions capabilities, so we decided to drop him off at the cave. Backtracking, we made it back in relative safety. Something seemed off with Luke. Well, as off as I could tell given how little I actually knew about him. He looked pale, and was being particularly silent.
“Hey, are you doing OK? You seem… unnerved. Is it the tentacle monster?”
Luke lifted squigly and looked at it, smiling softly. “No. Squiglys’ kind of cute, actually. No… it’s just. I don’t know, man.” I felt for him. There was something he needed to work through, but something is stopping him.
“We agreed to work together. Whatever the problem, we can work through it together. Talk to me.” Having over a dozen siblings was paying off, it seemed. Being the oldest, I was responsible for being the authority before my parents would get involved, leaving me with above average communication skills. Luke took a deep breath.
“I’m scarred, Kae. The monsters, the… I don’t know. Magic? It wasn’t supposed to be like this.” I could gather that much.
“Luke, you told me you orchestrated your own imprisonment and transport here. What did you expect?”
“I knew it would be dangerous. But, my plan was to hide and use the communication device hidden in my arm for help.” Oh, that explains why he wanted his arm back. I had thought he simply wanted revenge. “This fighting, surviving, I am not cut out for it. I’m a programmer and roboticist. A hacker with lofty, naive ideas on how the galaxy should work.”
“Who were you going to contact?”
“I have a contact with… our mutual friends.” Even here in a wilderness, the taboo of speaking openly about the resistance still made us talk in circles around it. “My plan was for them to come down, do their thing, and keep me safe.”
“I see. Well, that plan is shot. What’s your plan now. What do you want to do?” I paced, I could see where this was going. “Luke, no offense, but I can’t have you freeze and hide out there.”
“Then don’t take me with you!” He almost yelled it, but held back. “My problem is sometimes, I forget that I am a coward. But I am. I’m not like you or Balor or King.”
“So, what? You want to hide away in a cave all day? Have me come and drop off food. Let your nexos stay as hatchlings?” I wasn’t being fair, I knew that. But, I was under a lot of stress too.
“See, this is why I didn’t say anything. You’d be mad. Lets just forget it. Ill… muddle through.”
“Wait. I’m sorry. It’s been stressful for me too. Let me think.” I couldn’t explore and train with Luke if he was just going to hide. It meant I would have to protect him, and that would make me more vulnerable. We could work on his confidence. But I didn’t know if that would stick, and who knew how long it would take. I was no drill sergeant. Maybe I was looking at this wrong. I need to focus on his strengths, not his weakness. Somehow, I have been defaulted to the group leader. I was OK with that. Thinking in that lens, how can Luke benefit all of us while also not endangering himself or us. “Alright. Let’s try this. You stay here. Experiment and explore the Nexocite in your free time. Keep track of any information I find. I’m not a smart guy, like you. If there is a pattern to find, find it.”
“Kae, I-” I didn’t let him finish.
“I bring you food, you cook. If I find any tech, you fix it. You will break down and use monsters I bring back. Ill get your arm, you use it connect to.. whatever. Train Henry and Squigly the best you can, and defend the cave. I will be the outside, you be the inside. Pick up eachother slack. How does that sound.” Luke mulled it over. He was thinking deeply, I could see it in his eyes. Suddenly, his brow furrowed into a determined glare.
“I’ll do it. Even if the device is destroyed, Ill be here. But, I might ask you for things.”
“That’s fine.”
“And you have to tell me everything, even small details.”
“Sure.” Luke smiled softly he seemed to relax.
“Thank you. I am glad you found me and not some crazy ax murderer.”
I laughed. “I might still be an ax murderer, all we have is a hatchet. But, yeah. I am happy you didn’t end up being a tax avoider or something.” Luke laughed and sniffed. Balor made a gagging sound.
Moments latter, we were heading south. Stella, Balor, King, and I. If I was right, there was a place where I could reach the jungle. It didn’t take long for me to find it.
The maze like chasms opened directly into the jungle. Like walking from one room to another. The temperature shifted as well, becoming hotter and more humid. Here, I had Balor climb into the trees to collect fruit.
We managed to gather a good haul of nutritional treasure before King began to growl. Instantly, we pulsed. Something was out there, moving in slowly. As if to stalk us. “King, stand down until it attacks. Let it think it has us.” Balor was off gathering fruit. I readied my blade.
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It attacked quickly, diving from behind a bush with a screeching yowl. I didn’t see it until it was already in the air. It was flying towards me. King jumped at it, knowing its position, his arch would have taken him directly to the enemies throat. Then, it fly to the side. The monster unfurled large, colorful wings, slowing and altering its trajectory to dodge King. Luckily, this meant it couldn't attack me, yet.
I got a good look at it. It was feline, about the size of a leopard. But, it had bright, multicolored wings and feathers in place of fur. Its tale was a tuft of bright pink hair. It continued its flight, pulled up before it hit a tree, then ran up the tree with its claws. It stopped, clutching the tree, looking down at us and snarled. I pulled up its stats.
Leovien
DESIGNATION: N/A
HEALTH: Stable
STATUS: Wild
SOUL TYPE: Beast
LEVEL: 1
SKILLS
Camouflage: 14%
Flight Level 2: 42%
Kinetic Shield: 12%
Savagery: 97%
ATTRIBUTES
Strength: 3
Agility: 5
Density: 2
Energy: 2
Utility: 2
DERIVED ATTRIBUTES
Speed: 6
Intelligence: 4
Toughness: 5
Reaction: 7
King tried to run up the tree after it, but lost momentum and fell back to earth. He turned and landed on his feet. Stella was on my shoulder, growling at it while cowering behind my head. Make up your mind. I thought. “Stella, use light when I say.” I waited. Then, the leovien dove, twirling in the air to go after me again. It seemed to think I was the easier target. I placed a hand on Stella, “NOW!” I shut my eyes, braced for it. The monster roared in suprise and pain, temporarily blinded. Swiftly, I stepped to the side and slashed. There was a resistance, then the wet sound of slicing bone. Yowling in pain, the monster tumbled to the ground. When I opened my eyes, I saw that I had sliced off a wing.
King dove on it, ripping at it. But, the leovien wasn’t out of fight. It scratched, bit, and rolled. The two monsters were locked in a deadly grapple of claws and teeth. I was about to give King the command to use power up, when Stella screamed and popped to the ground infront of me.
Something slammed into my back knocking me to the ground. I felt the sharp, metalic teeth sink into my neck. I screamed in pain, which only made it worse. I could feel my blood pumping out of my body. I would be dead as soon as the second leovien ripped out my throat. King was still locked in combat, but I faintly could see the yellow light of a power up. He wouldn’t be fast enough. Stella came to my aid instead. She popped onto its back and started biting and ripping at the back of its neck. With every quick bite, small chunks of flesh and down was ripped free.
The monster released my neck on reflex and growled. Stella hadn’t wounded it too much, her teeth were small, but it was enough. With a screech of pain, Stella was knocked off its back with a quick roll. But, when it went to slice at the small nuisance, she had already popped away. I hadn’t planned on using it without more tests, but I could feel the blood running down my neck. Soon, I would die without healing the wound. Aiming with a shaking hand, I activated thorn. With the same near-nauseating feeling, the spike of bone slammed into the leovien. But it didn’t break through its kinetic shield, instead glancing off of it. That skill has been creeping in the back of my mind. Seemed that everything aside from hatchlings had it. It blocked fast moving attacks. Spear throws, thorns, and hurtling pulse hound puppies, but didn’t seem to affect melee attacks.
Before the second monster could finish me off, however, King flew in from the side. He had killed his opponent and came to help. I could see that King was wounded, but still he fought with fervor. I struggled to pull out a health spray, then doused my neck with it. I didn’t want to, the nexocite really freaked me out, but I was losing blood too fast. The cold feeling flooded into my wound and spread through my body. While I healed, King and the monster continued to tear at eachother in a blindingly fast exchange of blades.
SAVAGERY SKILL HAS BEEN FULLY REALIZED. LEVEL UP OR EVOLVE SKILL?
Not right now! I yelled, internally. I wanted to help, but couldn’t be sure who I would hit. King used power up once again, and launched the leovien away with his back feet. It caught itself in the air with its wings, dripping blood like rain. Then, it tried to fly away. I wouldn’t let it. With a snarl, I launched a thorn at it. Striking true, the bone spear bounced off the shield, but there was a snapping sound as the shield broke. I didn’t have time to launch another attack. It was going to get away.
Stella popped onto its back, and continued to tear at it. “Stella? What are you doing?!” I yelled after them, as they disappearing into the jungle. Cursing, I stood to chase after them. The vertigo I felt knocked me back on my ass. My already tattered shirt was soaked in blood. My blood. Still, I crawled forward. King dashed off, limping.
I found Stella a few yards away, feasting on the back of the leoviens neck. Its metal plate was located just above its tail, so she had free access. I don’t know if it was stella, the fall, the blood loss, or divine intervention, but it was dead. I sighed in relief. Soon, I was able to stand and dragged the leovien over to the other.
Just then there was a thump as Balor landed into the clearing. His jaw dropped open and the fruits tumbled to the ground. He ooked and screeched, pointing and holding his head. Marching up to me, he pulled at my shirt and looked at my neck wound. Balor gave a defeated groan, then an angry screech at King, who whined like a dog in trouble. Laughing, I checked what savagery could evolve to.
PLEASE SELECT ONE OPTION:
SAVAGERY, VENOM: SAVAGERY ATTACKS, SUCH AS TOOTH AND CLAW, GAIN A VENOMOUS COATING THAT CAN KILL QUICKLY.
ELEMENTAL SAVAGERY: WHEN THE NEXOCITE WEAPON MAY ENHANCE THEIR SAVAGERY ATTACKS WITH AN ELEMENTAL TYPE, DEPENDING ON WHICH SOULS ARE BEING USED. COMPATIBLE SOULS: FLAME, SPIRIT, FAE, SEA, MAGI, AND STONE.
EXTRA SAVAGERY: THE NEXOCITE WEAPON GROWS A SAVAGERY ATTACK CAPABLE LIMB. SELECT THIS EVOLUTION FOR MORE OPTIONS.
Venom would be nice, but I was worried how that would affect him licking me and Stella. King also did not have any compatible souls, so elemental savagery was out. I could have selected it for latter, but I wasn’t sure how useful it would be. Not worth the risk. As for extra savagery, I selected it to browse the options. Tails, stingers, claws, horns, spikes, spines, tentacles and more. I couldn’t see how that would really help, his jaws were plenty strong.
Ultimately, I went with the boring option. I decided to increase the level of savagery. Kings jaws and claws began to glow with a white light, similar to when he grew. After a moment, his teeth were larger, more menacing. Barely able to be contained within his jaws, which were noticeably larger as well. His claws had transformed from sharp dog-like claws into long blades. King was significantly more terrifying and deadly looking than before. He was beginning to move away from a familiar wolf-like form and into the territory of a true monster.