Bob sat watching the bank of monitors in front of him, while Snowball rested on the floor next to him. The monitors showed the outside perimeter of the Bunker and the surrounding area. Bob was filled with panic as he could see the Squirrel horde growing larger with every passing second. They poured out of the shadows surrounding the bunker one by one at first, and soon enough they were appearing in droves as if they were just materializing out of thin air.
Snowball whined, sensing the mood and realizing that what he saw on the screen was bad. Bob looked down at Snowball and scratched his ear. He does seem to be a lot smarter than he should be. I wonder just how much he is still hiding. Bob shook his head and blinked, mind snapping back to the task at hand, he tried to come up with a plan to deal with this nightmare.
He wasn't doing as well in that endeavor as he would have hoped. Bob wanted to prepare traps and find weapons but from his exploration earlier he hadn't seen much of anything to use in that task. He was stumped and flopped his head down on the table in front of him in exasperation.
"How the heck am I supposed to survive an endless swarm of Squirrels?" Bob shouted.
As his head hit the table he heard the click of a button and bolted up in surprise. A door inside the control room opened revealing a hidden room that had escaped their notice earlier. Bob cautiously stepped into the room and was amazed by what he saw.
It was a workshop, stocked full of all sorts of materials for crafting. There were shelves lined with jars of ingredients, tools, and equipment scattered about, and a large table in the center of the room covered in a variety of items. As he looked around, he noticed a section of the room filled with all sorts of Alchemical Vials. Bob approached the shelf and began examining the vials.
He saw a few different types and none of them had labels. Bob wished that he knew what they did, and then a clever idea popped into his head. Hey, Rolodex, can you scan and identify these vials?
*Yes, I should be able to. *
*Initiating Scan*
A bright light illuminated each vial in turn and then moved to the next one until all the vials were scanned.
*Scan Complete*
*Hey, Bobby-boy, the scan is complete, Uhh, but there's a slight issue.*
What do you mean by a slight issue?
*Here, uhh just let me show you.*
Mysterious Vial #1 - Function - %(^(*#Y&(*#&(EW)& Mysterious Vial #6 - Function - O(%&(*#^&*(#&*(#&^#)(^&*(#^&*(# Mysterious Vial #2 - Function - *^&(*#Y&U*&()^*()^&*()^*#()^&*#) Mysterious Vial #7 - Function - ^(&#*&#^)#&^()^&()#^*()#^&*)^&()#^*()#^&^()*#^()&#^(*#^_*#^_) Mysterious Vial #3 - Function - ^)&)*#&^)*#^&()#^&*()^&#() Mysterious Vial #8 - Function - %)&#*)^&*(#^&#)(^&(#)^&*^*)&(#)^&*^()&#()^&*(#)^&(#)^&() Mysterious Vial #4 - Function - %(^#%*(&%#*(&%#*(%#%(*%_*#%()&#%()#%^#^ Mysterious Vial #9 - Function -%(#^&%(*%&#*(%^#%&)*#%&()#%*%&*()#%&()#%&()#% Mysterious Vial #5 - Function -()#&(#^&^*(#&()#&*#^&#)^&#*)^&*#)^&^*(&()&^(#^&()#&
*System Message*
*Summoners Rolodex Artifact Level Insufficient*
*Access to Information Denied*
Ok, that is extremely weird.
*Sorry, Bob-o, best that can be done with my current level.*
Oh well, guess it can't be helped. Back to trying to make a plan. Bob finished his conversation with the Rolodex and absentmindedly pocketed two different colored vials. He went to the crafting table and quickly scanned the room.
He needed a weapon of some sort to try to pick off the squirrel monsters, stealthily from range. Bob wanted to try to thin out their numbers, as they were growing out of control. His eyes landed on a pile of scrap wood and a roll of sturdy rubber bands in the corner. A plan began to form in his mind.
He picked up a few pieces of wood, measured and cut them with a saw, then sanded them down until they were smooth. Next, he tied the rubber bands to each end of the wood and fashioned a pocket in the middle. He tested it out by launching a bolt across the room and smiled in satisfaction as it hit the wall with a thud. He was now armed and ready to take on these blasted Squirrels.
Bob, now armed with a slingshot and ammo, stood on the roof of the bunker, determined to defend it against the relentless squirrels trying to break in. The furry rodents had been trying to dig their way through the reinforced walls of the bunker for days, and Bob knew that he had to act fast to stop them. As he surveyed the area, he spotted a group of squirrels scurrying toward the bunker, their sharp claws digging into the dirt. Bob moved quickly, but he also knew that he had to be careful not to alert the squirrels to his presence.
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He crouched down behind a ventilation shaft and waited for the squirrels to get closer. When they were just a few feet away from the door, he leaped out from behind the shaft and fired a metal bolt at the lead squirrel. The bolt struck the squirrel on the nose, causing it to let out a yelp of pain and fall over defeated. The other squirrels were momentarily startled, giving Bob enough time to reload his slingshot and take aim at the next one.
This time, he aimed for the head, hitting the squirrel with deadly accuracy. The remaining squirrels, now realizing the danger, quickly began to retreat, chittering angrily as they ran. Bob fired several more times before the remaining Squirrels were out of his range. He breathed a sigh of relief, but he knew that he couldn't let his guard down.
The squirrels were persistent, and they would be back. As he continued to keep watch from his perch on the bunker roof, Bob couldn't help but feel a sense of pride in his small victory. He was just one man with a slingshot, but he was determined to defend the bunker. He had to look out for Snowballs and his own life, no one else would.
***************
In the heart of the enchanted forest, a horde of Squirrel Monsters had gathered together to devise a cunning plan to attack Bob the human vagabond that had taken up residence in the Bunker in front of them. Bob had unwittingly disturbed the peace of the Squirrel Monsters, by defeating a member of the Squirrel Royal Line, and they sought to take revenge on him. The Squirrel Horde was led by Squirrelius Maximus, a ferocious giant squirrel with razor-sharp claws and fangs. His eyes glinted with a fierce determination to destroy Bob and avenge his Crown Prince.
The first step of their plan was to scout out Bob's bunker and observe his habits. He noticed that Bob would go to the roof and try to take out a few of his Squirrel Soldiers every couple of hours. Sometimes Bob was successful, sometimes he was not. The second step was to find a way to climb up to the roof. Squirrelius Maximus assigned a couple of Squirrel Brigades to gather long sticks, vines, and enchanted mushrooms to construct a magical ladder. The ladder was imbued with magical energy, making it sturdy and strong enough to withstand any obstacle.
They waited until Bob had finished this round of patrol and went back inside the Bunker. This was the moment he had been waiting for, the roof was unguarded and so the Squirrel Army ran to the walls. They hurriedly extended their magic ladders and began to climb. As they began their ascent up to the roof, they kept to the shadows, making sure not to alert Bob of their presence. The Squirrel Soldiers were skilled climbers, moving quickly and quietly up the ladder.
As they reached the top of the roof, they paused to survey the area. Bob was sitting in his room, enjoying a book, completely unaware of the danger that lurked outside the bunker. The Squirrel Monsters crept along the roof, taking care not to make any noise, silent as the night. They positioned themselves around the ventilation shaft and prepared to make their attack. As the moon rose in the sky, the Squirrel Monsters made their way down the shaft and into the bunker.
They waited patiently for Bob to fall asleep before making their move. They waited silently for hours, until Squirrelius Maximus, noticed Bob lying down and then he began to snore. His vicious furry companion, half of the duo that took away his Crown Prince, lay resting next to Bob on the bed. Squirrelius Maximus was sure his plan would work and was gleefully celebrating his certain victory in his head. In the middle of the night, he and his Squirrel soldiers poured out of the ceiling, their tiny claws skittering across the floor as they advanced on Bob's bed.
Suddenly, Snowball woke up and barked loudly, sensing the impending danger. Startled, Bob quickly jumped out of bed and realized the gravity of the situation.
With Snowball by his side, Bob managed to retreat to a different room, narrowly escaping the vicious onslaught of the Squirrel soldiers. Despite the close call, Bob was grateful for Snowball's quick thinking and unwavering loyalty, which had saved them both from a certain disaster. Squirrelius Maximus, enraged, ordered his soldiers to chase after the human and defeat him at all costs. They needed to or they wouldn't ever be able to return to Squirreltopia. He just wanted to defeat the man who defeated the Crown Prince and return to his life of luxury and relaxation.
This human-chasing business was much too stressful for this old Squirrel. The Squirrel army charged on, in hot pursuit of Bob and Snowball. Hundreds of Squirrels ran haphazardly after Bob, all chomping at the bit, to be the one to bring down the Prince Slayer. In the meantime, Snowball and Bob barricaded themselves in a bedroom, staying as quiet as possible. They could hear the Squirrels scratching and gnawing at the door, determined to get inside. But Bob knew they were safe for the moment, and as he sat down to catch his breath, he realized how lucky he was to have Snowball.
Without Snowball's timely bark, Bob hadn't have woken up to being Squirrel Chow. The Squirrel army began to break through the barricade that Bob had constructed, and he started to panic. Knowing full well that his life and the life of his furry companion, Snowball, were in danger Bob decided to fight these monsters with monsters.
Something he should have done from the very start, but he wanted to trim down the number of Squirrels as much as possible before having an all-out war inside of his bunker. Bob moved the barricade and threw the door wide open. He used the Summoners Rolodex and the familiar apparatus appeared and began to spin. It landed on the Slime card and locked in the 4x modifier. Luckily for Bob, it didn't turn him into a slime as well. He commanded the summoned Slimes to attack the Squirrel Soldiers.
The Summoned Slimes oozed out of the room, their gelatinous bodies pulsing with a sickly green light. The Slimes slithered forward, their squishy bodies leaving a trail of slime in their wake, headed straight for the charging Squirrel Soldiers. The Squirrel Soldiers weren't afraid, as soldiers of the Royal Family, it was their duty to protect the Squirrel Kingdom from all manner of threats.
They were well-trained and acquainted with how to fight slimes. The Squirrel Soldiers drew tiny little bucklers and spears out of thin air as if it was magic, and started to form up into a Phalanx and marched steadily towards the oncoming slimes. The Slimes attacked first, surging forward with a wave of slimy tendrils.
The Squirrel Soldiers were quick to respond, blocking the attacks of the Slimes and counterattacking with their spears. The Slimes, by nature, could tank a lot of damage, but the Squirrel Soldiers were undaunted. They defended themselves against the Slimes with a ferocity that belied their tiny stature. The Slimes tried to engulf the Squirrel Soldiers, to drown them in their slime. But the Soldiers were too quick, darting in and out of the Slimes' grasp. The Slimes were slippery and hard to hit, but the Squirrel Soldiers were skilled fighters. They worked together, surrounding the Slimes and attacking from all sides.
The battle raged on, Slime against Squirrel, a never-ending dance of death. The Slimes were relentless, attacking with wave after wave of acid projectiles and ramming attacks. But the Squirrel Soldiers were equally persistent, their tiny bodies agile and quick. They fought with all their might, determined to protect their people and avenge their Prince. In the end, it was the Squirrel Soldiers who emerged victorious. Their tiny bodies were covered in slime, their weapons dulled by the constant acid erosion, but they had prevailed. One by one the slimes disintegrated as they were defeated.