Kat looked around expectantly before asking.
"Where is the great ancestor?"
Don winced.
"She... has some important business to take care of." Don lied weakly "She, uh, she is leading them away!" he finished more confidently. Kat crossed his arms and nodded.
"Well then we should get moving so we don't waste her sacrifice."
"Right. Good idea. Which way is the refuge?" Don asked. Kat pointed surprisingly far off to the right of the river. Don pointed in the opposite direction.
"Then let's go this way for now." He tried to sound confident and started jogging to reinforce the point when Kat called out.
"Wait! The tower is that way." Don slowed to a stop.
"Well, what's over there?" He pointed to his right.
"Impassable cliffs"
"Uh-huh, and that way?" Don pointed left this time.
"tireless armored monsters. We tend to leave them alone."
"And the apes are on the other side of the refuge" Don finished, his forced confidence from before had evaporated.
It wasn't like I could run away in the first place. Don scolded himself The whole plan was to challenge the apes and take back the ColoColo's home. Running would be the same as throwing away our only chance at a new refuge.
"I suppose that means training is over. It's time to take back what your ancestors built."
Don couldn't spot the monsters in the canopy but his words caused them to stir. Don ordered them to eat and hand over any ingredients they took from the refuge. If they could lighten their load while getting rid of the hungry debuff it was well worth the time it would take. Don mulled over his options while he ate and stored mostly ruined ingredients in his inventory. When that was done, he had the beginnings of a plan.
"Kat!" Don snapped "I want you out in front. Ulf, Dak, Sid, and Cam, string out behind him. The rest of us will follow in a group. If there's anything dangerous, come back, warn the group, and set off in a new direction. We'll go this way for now" Don indicated towards the cliffs, at least cliffs wouldn't chase them down if they got too close.
"Then we will circle around the refuge, making our way towards the apes. It's time to go home."
Kat disappeared up a tree and the whole tribe ran after him.
----------------------------------------
Don loped easily through the jungle, munching listlessly on the various ruined ingredients to give his [curious tastes] skill more experience. The bright colors made the familiar place seem alien all over again. His plan to send Kat out ahead paid off as they avoided scattered patrols of centurions all morning. After a few hours, they circled around the refuge enough that the air wasn't filled with the smell of oily smoke.
Don could still catch glimpses of the tall smear stretching across the azure sky to his right. He kept looking at it, reassuring himself that they were far enough away. He took his eyes off the ground long enough to take another glance just as a patrol came charging out of the underbrush on Don's left.
With the ColoColo all hidden in the branches, Don was the only obvious target and they all began to angle their weapons towards him. Don couldn't allow them the time to set up their formation. He pushed hard off of a tree, tucked his chin to his chest and crossed his arms over his neck.
His snap decision paid off when he scattered the soldiers like bowling pins. One in the middle went flying into the air. The centurions flanking him were sent rolling across the ground and one on the side was knocked flat. The one who was far enough out of formation to be unaffected turned his spear on Don and used [flurry].
Don's health only dropped 13 points and he smashed the man's legs with a [low kick]. It unbalanced the soldier and gave Don the second needed to [circle step] behind him. Don looked up to see each centurion with at least two ColoColo attached to them.
"Abort!" He shouted, but these were all the ColoColo he hadn't trained to that command. They continued to pump the four soldiers with their exhausting venom until they were dry. One of them leveled up but now Don had that many fewer doses of poison to use on the apes. At least none of the main combat group used any of their charges yet.
Don wrestled his centurion to the ground and tied him up for a tidy bit of experience.
+ 1 EXP (x4) + 9 EXP 49 / 200 EXP to level 2
Just like that, he was almost 25% of the way to level 2. He paid for the experience with a short trip back to the mud pit and only came back to the jungle after dying again. Don killed the centurion.
He assured himself that he only went through with it because murder was the easiest way to take this soldier out of the jungle and out of the fight for the rest of the day. He could feel the satisfied animal purring deep inside him though.
After he sent Kat and his primary combat squad out to search the immediate area, Don decided he had enough time to take care of the rest of them. He quickly disabled them one at a time, netting some EXP and some proof that they had indeed killed him before Don sent them back to their camp near the tower with an [axe kick] each.
+ 9 EXP (x2) + 6 EXP (x2) 79 / 200 EXP to level 2
Don had gained 43 exp in just a few minutes! He was tempted to start hunting the spearmen instead of avoiding them, especially after he noticed that most of them were using makeshift weapons this time. It looked like they didn't have enough to go around as only one of them held the iron-tipped spear Don was used to. The rest held crude sharpened lengths of wood. There were drawbacks to fielding large numbers of troops after all.
After considering all the venom it took and how badly things might have gone if he didn't break their formation at the start, Don decided to leave that for after he secured a home for the ColoColo.
He patched up the few minor injuries with salve, earning some tribe reputation. Then he scolded the gung-ho monsters.
"What were you thinking? Did I tell you to attack? Were you trained how to fight?" Don gave the bewildered ColoColo no time to answer.
"No! Now you've used up all your poison in one fight and we have all day to go before you can make any more!" Not that Don would have let them fight the apes without any training. It was probably for the best. Now they wouldn't be tempted to jump in when the real fighting started.
"Now you get the distinguished honor of carrying luggage! I designate all the idiots without any poison left to be part of the support squad. For now, your only job is to supply the other squads with potions when they need them!"
They started abashedly taking leftover nuts from the rest of the tribe. Considering that the majority of the tribe was in the support squad now, it wasn't too big a burden.
"Ulf, Dak, Sid, and Cam, You are now the commandos. Each of you trained with four other ColoColo yesterday. I want you to organize those sub-squads into our strike-teams. If fighting breaks out again, I want you commanding them."
"Kat, You are our Ace. You're going to have a dangerous job but get first priority from the support squad and can order them around so long as you don't send them into combat."
"Let's get moving again. We've been still for too long."
With that, the group headed out again. Don was surrounded by the support squad, which was ringed by the strike-teams. The commandos followed Kat through the jungle again. Don would have liked to spread out his scouts some more but if one saw something, he didn't see any way to warn the other scouts so they could change direction. He had to get by with just the one forward scout for now and the string of commandos letting the large group trail safely behind.
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They didn't have any more surprise encounters as they steadily climbed higher and higher. Don was wondering where this impassable cliff was when he nearly fell off of it. There was a dense section of vegetation near the edge and when Don pushed through it, he nearly started a small landslide when he scrabbled back from the edge.
When he inched back as close as he could stomach, he marveled. Off to his left, a river ended as abruptly as the jungle, sending its contents over the edge. The river dispersed into a fine mist and joined the low clouds obscuring much of the distant land below. The clouds that were below Don. The rest of the land was obscured by water. Small spits and islands poked out here and there but the shining hammered-metal gleam extended right up to the horizon.
Don would have stayed to gape at the endless wetlands if he didn't have the whole tribe waiting on him. The cliffs made them uncomfortable and Don got his tribe moving again. After they went an hour without seeing any patrols, Don had Kat take them to a fruit tree.
Don waited until they were resting under its branches to explain his plan.
----------------------------------------
Kat glared at Don hatefully from the next branch over. He didn't say anything, but he didn't have to either. Don's brilliant idea of covering the scout in crushed fruit hadn't exactly worked out perfectly. Instead of attracting the apes, it attracted a cloud of biting insects. Worse still, any attempt to wipe away the sticky mess just rubbed it deeper into the increasingly bedraggled feathers.
Don's natural armor saved him from learning about mosquito bites firsthand but it was no defense against the steaming daytime heat of the jungle. He idly daydreamed about the cool night air as he waited.
A rabbit hopped out of the underbrush and Don did his best not to tense up. When it stopped at the nibbled fruit under Don, he dropped soundlessly on top of it.
+ 3 EXP 139 / 200 EXP to level 2
That made for the 21st rabbit Don had caught. He didn't expect to gain much experience from this ploy but he only had to wait a few minutes between appearances. He sent the caught rabbits away with a support squad member so he wouldn't have to waste time catching them again for 0 exp. He was just climbing back up into the fruit tree to wait when he heard it. A not so distant roar shook the air.
"Positions" Don ordered unnecessarily. Kat already disappeared into the canopy and his squads had been in place for hours. They were spread out in the trees around him, maximizing the angles they could approach from. Now he would see if his training was worth anything, or if they would scatter at the first sight of one of the apes.
At least if I die here, the centurions will stop raiding the jungle. He thought morbidly as he applied an exhausting potion to each of his makeshift spiked bracers.
They weren't anything fancy, just vines wrapped around Don's fists. A layer of brambles over the vines gave Don a way to administer the poison without needing to overpower his opponent first. A small notification confirmed his successful application.
Don faced the direction the noises were coming from and tried to hype himself up.
You're ready for this. You're stronger and faster than you used to be. These things are only freakishly strong, just avoid their predictable attacks and the strike teams will handle the rest. Just stay alive.
That last sentiment turned into a mantra. Don repeated it louder and faster in his head as the monster crashed through the jungle until it burst into view and Don's mind went completely blank. The rage and ferocity emanating from the ape made Don want to turn and run. His body started reacting to that want before Don stopped himself and resumed his [circle steps] stance.
The ape swung closer on its massive arms. It didn't even slow down when it pulled a branch off of a nearby tree and tossed it underhand at Don. The demon smirked and easily dodged the projectile. The smile was wiped off his face when the ape caught him with a powerful uppercut. Don was immediately knocked flying. It looked like someone yanked on a huge fishing line attached to the back of his head. He slumped in a daze for a few seconds.
That was new. He thought absently. Then he had no room to think about anything other than the ape because it was on top of him. Pulling a leg in one direction and an arm in the other. It was going to rip Don in half! Then it suddenly dropped him to grab something off his back. He flung the ColoColo through the air. It pinwheeled towards a tree but made a valiant attempt at catching itself. Don heard a sickening crack as it failed.
The ape stepped towards the little monster that dared to bite him. Don was there in a flash, interposing himself between the giant and the crippled monster.
"Recovery" He ordered and trusted the team of nearby supporters to pull the injured striker to safety and force a healing potion on him. Don kept his eyes locked on the ape.
He had gotten cocky because he saw them fight a few times before. He planed for every attack he had seen but was completely unprepared to get hit from below. He was even less prepared to get grappled by the monster. Luckily the next attack was predictable.
The ape raised its arms into the air and Don waited until they paused to make his move. He felt the air tug at him and the ground ripple as the meaty fists pounded into the ground with deadly intent. Don was completely unharmed as he spun around the monster, stopping behind it. A ColoColo landed just in front of him and delivered a dose of venom.
The ape whirled, assuming it was Don who hurt him this time. Don circled with him, stepping too close for its wild backhand to have any effect. When it did manage to face him, Don shot a [rolling punch] into his face. He wasn't feeling particularly vindictive but it was the only target that wasn't covered in dense fur and was the best target for his poisoned thorns.
The ape rocked from the force of the blows but came back at Don even angrier. Don went on pure defense. It was simple enough to avoid the brute's straightforward attacks now that he was on guard for new attack patterns. About two minutes and another [Venomous bite] later saw the ape lying at Don's feet. Its yellow eyes were glazed and it gasped for breath.
It was a close call, at one stamina per second, his [circle steps] drained him faster than expected even during such a short fight. Don tied it up enough to get the experience, then delegated the remainder of the task to some supporters. They were all too eager to make sure the monster wouldn't be getting back up.
+ 24 EXP 168 / 200 EXP
A quick check showed that the single blow he took drained his life by 40%. He popped a healing potion and ate a few fruits to offset the hunger side effect while listening to a report from the support squad.
"Kat is luring 2 of them now. Another is approaching already." The ColoColo was on the edge of hysterics. Don did his best to calm him.
"Great, two more will bring me up to level 2. Then it will be even easier to take them on. What happened to the ColoColo who jumped in at the start?"
"He won't be able to walk anytime soon but will heal before long." Don took a second to be relieved before turning to one of his commandos.
"Sid! Take your strike team and lead one of Kat's apes here."
Don turned back to the support ColoColo.
"How is Kat holding up?" The supporter perked up unexpectedly.
"Oh Kat is fine, he is fast. He can run all night and not get tired."
"That's right, there's nothing to worry about." Don lied. He had no idea how many apes they would attract and he had to keep the numbers chasing Kat down as low as he could. There was no time to sit around and let his health recover fully.
The next two fights went more smoothly. The ColoColo grew bolder with each success and the fights ended faster as the apes were poisoned earlier and more often. He kept [clarity] ready to go in case of any other surprising attacks. With each close call, Don got a little more used to the way the apes moved. He started getting a feel for their long reach and even though one of them was lower level than expected, he still got enough EXP to level up!
+ 21 EXP + 24 EXP Level Up!
13 / 300 EXP to level 3
Don took a quick break to allocate his attribute points. He put three into Wisdom and dropped his remaining two into agility.
STR: 26 CON: 20 INT: 16 DEX: 20 AGI: 23 + 1 END: 20 WIS: 25
His strength and wisdom advanced on their own again and Don was feeling ready to take on the rest of the apes. They should be much easier to handle with improved speed and reaction times.
Don hadn't fought for long but his [circle steps] skill benefitted greatly from the high-stakes practice.
Circle Steps: Initiate 2 --> 6 Effect: +(5.5 --> 7.5)% AGI and WIS
Special: Clarity
Clarity
+ (21 --> 25)% WIS Duration: 1 second
Cooldown: 5 seconds
Cost: 5 MP
Cost: 1 SP / second
With the bonus from [clarity], he could have the equivalent of 33 wisdom points for a whole second! Don wasn't much faster than before but with the huge boost to his reaction speed, and the subjective 3.3 seconds to act in, he was confident that he would be able to avoid anything the apes could throw at him.
"How many are on Kat now?" Don asked the seemingly empty trees around him.
"Five" Came back the answer. Don tried not to show his worry and ordered another commando team to split the apes away from Kat. They were supposed to bring a single ape back to Don and return the others to the growing horde chasing their ace but Don told them to try and take the whole group off of Kat and give him a little time to recuperate.
Potions could replenish his stamina but each potion he drank would fatigue Kat as well, decreasing his speed by 10%. That was something Don would rather put off if he could.