CHAPTER 105: Weirdest Trap Ever
The group stood in front of a hole in a hill in a park in a suburban neighborhood. Rahsha had led them a few miles away, to this quiet area. Inside the hole was the typical Dimensional Convergence Rift barrier, still unmerged from the planetary reality. That meant going through that barrier could lead to anywhere and anything. The group eyed it suspiciously.
When they arrived, more of the Leputi had dropped from trees, climbed out of neighborhood windows, and pulled themselves out of hidden burrows in the ground. The only weapons they carried were those small, curved knives. The ones that revealed themselves bowed their heads towards the group, causing more confusion in Adam.
Two Leputi that were openly guarding the Rift entrance begged their forgiveness as they were asked to wait for a moment.
“This has to be the weirdest trap ever,” said Tom as he looked around.
“Are we even sure this is a trap?” asked Andrea.
“Maybe it’s like how Venus Fly Traps release a pleasant odor to catch insects,” suggested Brandon.
“You call this pleasant?” asked Randall.
“They are kind of cute,” said Alissa, walking up to one and petting its head. The Leputi seemed unsure if it should respond, or whether it should like or hate it.
“Cute or not,” frowned Carlos. “They’re still invaders. We can’t show mercy to invaders!”
The group made various faces at him. His new edginess was taking people by surprise, and they were unsure how to treat him.
“What’s the play?” asked Lucas.
Adam frowned at the scene. The invaders kept throwing him curve balls, yet this was not in his list of things to expect. Inside there might be a giant tiger ready to eat them, or a world of water that they get dropped into. There might be a pleasure world that will make them never want to leave. Or dozens of Tier 3 invaders that he can’t possibly stand against. The polite bunnies might just be a façade to lure him here and get him to let his guard down. Once more they had no information. He would have to wing it.
“We shouldn’t all step into the unknown. I’ll go in with Tom, Alissa, and Abbey. That gives me a caster, physical damage, and healer. The rest will wait out here. This group would pose no problems to you guys, and I haven’t felt anything else lurking around on my soul map.”
“Yet another weird point to it,” said Tom. “Pathetic defense of their base.”
“Unless they don’t need defense,” added Andrea.
Adam took a breath. If he was being honest, his instincts told him to wipe out all the Leputi he had seen. They were invaders. The river was rushing in him, and if he didn’t have the skill [Body and Soul Shaping] then he wouldn’t have been able to control himself. The voice inside his soul, what he considered his soul corruption, was being very insistent that he should tear them up.
On the other hand, his mind was telling him that as far as he could tell, there was no threat here. He would be able to take care of them whenever. The violent urges rising in his soul called out for him to strike now, and to rid the planet of these invaders. However, he held himself back for the people that might be inside. Their presence could still be a lie, but it limited his options until he found out.
They waited around for another few minutes. During that time Alissa had pet five more of the Leputi, and Andrea had pulled Abbey into trying it with her too. One of the female warriors even showed enjoyment from having her head rubbed, causing a younger looking male to come for some. Adam could tell that Brittney was holding herself back as she held her shield in a position of readiness.
“Mighty warriors, the preparations are ready,” said a guard as he exited from the Rift and bowed. “Rahsha, please lead them to the chief.”
“Your Excellency, please follow this one,” Rahsha said with a bow, then walked into the Rift barrier.
“You ready?” asked Lucas.
“Are we ever?” retorted Adam. “See you on the other side.”
Adam, Alissa, Tom, and Abbey all stepped forward, with Adam in the lead. He felt the familiar lack of sensation as he passed through the barrier, though the air was still on the inside. He had been right, though. The view that greeted him was nothing he could have expected.
In front of him was a Leputi that he guessed was older than those he had already seen. The invader’s fur was longer and a bit less orderly. The fur was gray, though Adam could see patches of a blueish sheen that had faded from the rest. His face also looked a little longer than the others, though it still had the angular sloping.
The oddest part was that the Leputi, with a tag of “Small Tribe Chief [25],” was standing in front of him completely unclothed, with all his parts uncovered by fur displayed for those who entered. A set of clothing was neatly folded right next to him, showing that his nudity was especially for those walking through the barrier.
“Whoa!” exclaimed Tom, looking the chief up and down. “I stand corrected. This is the weirdest trap ever. Quite the fashion statement there, chiefy.”
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The elderly Leputi scrunched his nose. “My apologies, my lords. Is this not how you choose to face your adversaries?”
“Where did you get that idea?” asked Alissa, giving the furry man a good look, while Abbey was half covering her eyes.
“In all the battles that we were shown from other races you fought and defeated, his Excellency was without garb,” said the man, getting nervous and fidgety. A small tail, longer and unlike a cotton ball began twitching. The clothes on the other Leputi they had seen had covered their tails.
“He’s got you there, boss!” laughed Tom uproariously, slapping Adam’s back. Alissa was also laughing hard, and Abbey tried being respectful, though it was clear she wanted to giggle too.
The chief was confused by their reactions.
“The Red Clan speaker told all that you face your opponents without armor or clothes to show them respect and a lack of guile, appropriate to one of the Berserker classes. Is that not the case, my lords?”
“No,” Tom said, continuing to laugh but trying to catch his breath. “No. The mind witch is just messing with you and us. The boss here keeps foiling her plans, so she just said that to be petty. He always lost his clothes while fighting. His power couldn’t be contained by his clothes.”
“My humblest apologies, your Excellency,” said the chief, bowing deeply. “I should have realized before now that your native fabrics were not designed to withstand the power you now wield. It’s just that your actions are unprecedented for a native, so few are able to think of you as such.”
“No worries, chiefy,” said Tom, putting his arm around the chief’s shoulders. “Now, I hate to break it to you, but we have to hurry up on these negotiations you were talking about.”
“Why is that, warrior? Also, please forgive my questions, but why is his Excellency not speaking? Are you his voice?”
“No need to apologize, chiefy” said Tom, still holding the chief with his arm. Alissa was trying to sneak forward without anyone noticing. Probably to touch the chief’s fur. Abbey had a grip on Adam’s arm. “The answer to all those questions is the same. The reason we have to hurry and that the boss isn’t speaking for himself is because he more than kind of wants to kill you all.”
Tom raised his other arm in the direction that Adam was looking, towards the plains inside the Rift that were quite crowded with invaders. Since seeing them, Adam had no longer been able to think about discussions or meetings. He was having to pull from the coolness in his mind to steady the heat that was filling him and forcing the river to churn. The air around him was shaking from the heat he radiated, even though he looked calm as he stood there with his arms crossed and a blank look on his face. Without Abbey’s heals being cast on him, he might have been overwhelmed by the throbbing in his soul.
The inside of this Rift was grassy plains. Here and there were a few raised mounds that had tunnels leading into them. In the distance was a large fence containing a structure that looked like an enormous carport. It had a roof but no walls. Inside were thousands of humans.
They were all clothed, and still in human fashions, though they did look worn down. At least they seemed clean. The captives didn’t look frantic or suppressed, more bored and annoyed. Human kids and Leputi kids were playing in groups. Fluffy grassy areas looked like beds set out for them. Various Leputi were moving around them and casually speaking with them. Even though a few Leputi were outside the fence like guards, they leaned on it as though they didn’t think guards were necessary.
On the fields between the humans and the Rift entrance were hundreds more Leputi. They were all sitting on their knees, just as naked as the chief, clothes folded neatly beside each one. The tags above each one showed “Breeder [0]”, as if they had no level and all the same class.
With the anger now apparent in Adam, the chief made to run away, to put some space between himself and the now hostile natives, but Tom’s arm held him there.
“H-have we so offended the great lord?” the Chief asked.
“Nah, it’s not like that chiefy. I’m sure you haven’t done anything to offend him. Yet. Hopefully never. It’s just that when the [System] came, he became a little obsessed over killing all the invaders, and you and your bunny family are invaders. You’ve seen those videos with the invaders he’s killed. So, before the boss becomes murder happy, let’s get to the point. Yeah?”
“Y-yes, great lord,” the chief said, upgrading Tom’s title trying to appease him, as if he was the only person who could help them survive. Alissa even snorted a laugh at it.
“You can call me Tom, chiefy. Now, what did you want to negotiate?”
“Yes, Lord Tom. I was hoping that you could take in my people and spare them from his Excellency’s wrath.”
“You’ll need to give me more than that. Why do you need our protection? Can’t you just not fight us?” asked Tom.
“No. We were sent here by the mighty Scyrric, those who have purchased the rights to your world. The numbers here are only a portion of our tribe, chosen and separated by the great Scyrric for their purpose. Our race is weak and not fit for large fights. Upon seeing the scenes of his Excellency, the berserker, and his great power I knew our people would die should we be forced to fight him.”
“Probably,” agreed Tom. “Then if you can’t beat us, you want to join us?”
“Though we Leputi aren’t a threat to other races, many have taken offense to our existence. They enjoy tormenting and killing us for pleasure. The Bobomon are such a race. They have long hunted our own tribe. Riding their battle Carthraga they have been looking for us. When the wise Scyrric chose our place to arrive in this world, they placed us close to the Bobomon, for reasons beyond our understanding.”
“They were just being cruel by doing that, not wise. Can you please stop praising your oppressors,” said Alissa with disgust, as she stood away from the conversation while having fun rubbing the head of a kneeling Leputi.
“Then you want us to kill your enemies?” asked Tom.
“That would be a great boon to us, Lord Tom, though not our primary desire. Our race has a special trait. In our tribe the wellbeing of the whole is more important than any single one of us. Having offspring and growing the tribe is our purpose.”
“Then you invade through popping out tons of babies?” mocked Tom.
“We have no intention to invade, and without the commands of the Scyrric we would not have come to your planet. Our paws are not fit for delicate crafting nor wielding weapons. We are renowned and desired by those who wish to sire offspring and heirs.
“As natives who have only now become able to evolve classes, there is a downside to gaining power. The higher your level and evolution, the less able you are to find compatibility with a mate.”
“WHAT?” bellowed Alissa as she stomped up. “We can’t have kids once we get high level?! What kind of crap is that?”
The chief drew back from her temper.
“Great mistress, it is not our doing. But that is precisely why we are both desired and reviled. Our race is able to ignore that limitation and breed with others to produce offspring. We even have a racial class that strengthens that ability and increases gestation speeds.”
“That’s totally not fair!” cried Alissa, dropping to her knees. Tom patted her on the shoulder.
“We know not about the fairness of it. Our people are forcibly taken by many races to help bolster their own forces. Those offspring born to the taken never return to the tribe to our sorrow.”