Chapter 62
With a plan set, and a brief explanation of all that Hunters could do to bring down their prey, we trudged into the jungle. I took point, my daggers in hand, with Shadow at my side. Behind me Lyn had her bow drawn, while Nyle had his rapier out, his eyes scanning constantly upward. Quill walked between the two, with Alax, shield and spear drawn, covering the rear.
“For a good base area,” Quill said as we walked, “we’ll be looking for a decent clearing. An open space, with good cover nearby. The clearing will prove as the ambush and trap zone for the gorilla, while the cover nearby will allow those of us on the ambush team to lie in wait.” He had his bow drawn, and an arrow nocked, as he looked around as well. I was more than a little curious about just how strong he was. What types of stats did the Hunters have? And did they get stronger when they earned their various titles?
“Haven’t you been in this jungle plenty of times before?” Alax said dryly. “Don’t you have an area already planned out?”
“If only it were that easy,” Quill replied. “The Tower resets the layout of its floors weekly. While certain things are permanent, such as the location of the floor gates, everything else moves. The Reaping was held on the last day before the Tower reset, and yesterday wasn’t a gorilla hunt. So, today’s the first day I’ve been in the jungle for this week, meaning its all just as new to me, as it is to you.”
I heard a sloshing sound, followed by a curse from Alax, and shot a glance backwards immediately. The climber had half of one leg covered in mud.
“Well, almost as new.” Quill laughed, “I at least still know where not to step.” I glanced down at Shadow and realized the dog had nudged me to the side to avoid that muddy spot, while Quill himself had stepped calmly past it, leaving only Alax to fall prey to that particular misfortune.
“All jokes aside,” Quill continued, his tone serious, “you’ll want to keep your eyes not only above, but also below. There are mud pits that will quickly suck you up if you’re not careful. They won’t kill you completely, but being trapped in one is a surefire way to find yourself prey to something in the area. Slimes, especially, like to drop down on poor fools stuck in such things.” He nodded back at Alax, “it’s similar to what you just stepped in, but far larger and deeper.”
“You could have warned me in advance.” Alax growled, “or do you make it a habit to try and embarrass the people who are supposed to protect you?”
“I get the feeling you need to learn to take a joke.” Quill said with a shake of his head. “And if you’d been watching me and where I was stepping, you would have avoided the danger. Blaming your misfortune on others, is a surefire way to never learn from your own shortcomings.”
Alax muttered something under his breath, but I couldn’t hear it. I appreciated what Quill said though and took note to try and swivel my head around, looking both in the massive tree branches above, searching for shapes and movement in the dense foliage, as well as the ground all around me. With the fallen branches and leaves, and the thick heat and moisture of the air, it was extremely difficult to try and discern if the ground was solid, or mud. How could Quill identify it so quickly?
“Speaking of slimes,” Quill continued as we walked, “like Pren said, obviously kill any you see. However, note that they are a pack monster. If one drops down on you, there’s a good chance there are many more above.” He pointed with his arrow upwards, “they like to slide about on the leaves. I think they absorb a lot of the moisture that gets caught on them. You’ll need to watch the leaves, and look for any that seem heavy, as if they’re holding a lot of extra weight. The slime’s color lets them blend in with the leaves, so you won’t be able to see them just by a color difference.”
This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.
His voice got serious, “if the canopy above begins to bulge, get out of the area, quickly. The slimes are known to condense and can form into a King Slime.”
“A secret boss?” I guessed.
“Aye, just like the Den Mother the three of you faced down. Within the jungle itself, the King Slime is the gravest threat to Hunters and Climbers alike. Usually, it doesn’t make itself known until the third or fourth day of the week, at which point we spread word of its spawn location. Until then though, it’s a very real, very dangerous, threat.”
“So, if we see the King Slime, we run. Easy enough.” Nyle commented.
“Yeah, I’d rather not face another Secret Boss until we finish off the Den Mother.” Lyn said in agreement.
“You guy are really planning to take her down already?” Quill asked. The conversation was helping our trek into the jungle pass quickly, though even with the easy nature of the speech, it was clear we were all on edge. Up ahead, I was pretty sure I saw a clearing. Would it be a good spot to set up?
“That’s the plan,” Lyn answered, “we want to get more of its gear, and honestly, we’re looking to get revenge on the creature. It… was rather unpleasant to stumble across yesterday.”
“I’d say,” Nyle added, “getting crunched on by a massive wolf is the exact opposite of anything I’d ever want to do again.”
Quill laughed, “seriously, I don’t know how you guys do it.” He said, his tone slightly in awe, “walking so willing to your deaths, dying time and time again. Seriously, you’ve been in the Tower twice, and have already died an equal number of times, and yet, here you are again.” He let out a low whistle, “I couldn’t do it.”
“It’s our job,” I said, trying my best to sound confident. “It’s the will of the Tower, just as yours is to be a Hunter. Really, if there’s anyone who is impressive, it’s you. If we die, it’s nothing but you. You face danger every day within the Tower, and if you die, that’s it.” My voice dropped low. “How do you do it?”
Quill went quiet for a moment, as we neared the opening in the jungle. I risked another glance backwards, as I got within a few feet of the clearing. Shadow had paused at my side, its eyes searching the area, its ears twisting this way and that. The dog was intelligent, there was no doubt about it. And having it at my side, honestly, was rather reassuring. Were Climbers able to get whistles similar to the Hunters? Because being able to summon an animal companion within the Tower seemed like quite the benefit.
“It’s just how life is, don’t you think?” Quill said after a long moment. “You live, and then you die. That’s natural, isn’t it? And besides, here, within the Tower, I at least know what the dangers are. I’m prepared. I’ve been trained for this, and well, it’s my job. Honestly, I’m probably as safe here, with Shadow at my side and Climbers around me, as I am outside of the Tower. Deaths happen, no matter where you are, no matter how prepared you are. No point in living in fear of the inevitable, right?”
The very jungle seemed to go quiet, as if the creatures, the Tower itself, were contemplating his words. We all stopped and stayed still, mere feet from the clearing, wondering, and waiting. I didn’t know what to say, and I didn’t think any of the others did either. Within the Tower, Climbers were immortal. But we also knew all the same, we were human. Outside of the Tower, actually, we could even die. And yet, for some reason, I’d never considered that before. Quill was right, I realized. Living in fear of death, worrying about the unknown, it wasn’t quite reasonable, was it? What was important, what I realized I should be focusing on, wasn’t the future. That wasn’t certain. The only thing that was, was the here and the now. For the first time in the past two days, the words that had echoed in my mind, the weight that had clamped itself to me, binding me with insecurity faded. Now wasn’t the time to wonder what type of Climber I’d be in the future. Right here and now, all that mattered, was what type of Climber I was.
I felt a smile cross my face, as my fingers, soaked from the humid air, tightened on my daggers. Whatever may come today, I was ready. My fear, my worries, the weight of everything moved aside, to be replaced with a since of excitement, and the calm that came with contentment. It was time to hunt gorillas. It was time to live the day as a Climber and embrace all that came with that title.