It took the group less than an hour to run through the valley to the base of the mountain. Adam was surprised at his body's capabilities. The hour run was smooth, he never felt out of breath, and he didn’t even sweat. He could feel deep down that he would still get tired if he pushed himself, but it would take much more than a normal human.
The group slowed as they neared the forest that covered the mountain. The trees were the biggest Adam had ever seen in his life. Each one was big enough around to carve out a small house, and tall enough to put a small building to shame. The bark of the tree was a deep brown with leaves as green as shinning emeralds. He felt a slight pull toward the forest from the pit of his stomach. He could feel the nature magic inside him reacting to the place.
“Those trees are huge,” said Josh. He was craning his head back looking toward the top.
“Everything has changed,” said Mina. Her voice had an edge of bitterness to it. “Even the trees. We should take care from here on out. The forest has monsters now. Some of our scouts have heard strange howls and cries. A few haven’t returned even when far away from the area the goblin patrols.”
When Adam stepped into the forest with his group it was like the whole world changed. The forest canopy covered the world completely. The sun, being at its peak, just slightly showed through the leaves giving the place a magical warmth. The ground was incredibly soft and Adam sunk in ever so slightly with each step. He took in a deep breath through his nose. His senses were filled with the smells of tree bark, leaves, and moss. It was slightly damp and his memories came rushing back.
He was a kid again running through the woods near his house. Playing with nothing but sticks and his imagination. No childhood is without pain, but the smell of this place brought him back to a place of happiness. For the briefest of moments he was completely at peace and at the same time he longed to go back so bad it hurt.
The memory faded in less than the time it took to blink. He smiled at the bittersweet feeling. It brought him comfort even if there was a longing to go back. It made him feel like himself again for a moment. It made him truly believe that this place was real. That he was real. He wasn’t some carbon copy AI or something. It was really him in here.
“Hey Mina,” said Adam. He looked over toward the woman as they walked. “Would you mind telling us about the day the world changed?” Adam chewed on his lip for a moment trying to find a good reason for him and Josh not knowing what happened. “It’d be nice to hear another person's view.”
Mina took a deep breath as they walked through the forest. Drox sitting on one of her shoulders looking down expectantly. “It was a night of celebration. It was the night I was wed to the other half of my soul. She was my everything. She was loved by the village for as long as I could remember but she shared her heart with me alone. The drinks flowed, songs were sung, dances were had, and lips met. The entire village celebrated with us for the entire day.” Mina’s voice didn’t falter in the slightest. It was as if she was living the moment again.
She continued, “That night I was the happiest I had ever been. One moment we were all dancing and drinking beneath the stars. The next moment there was a light as bright as Orus’s sky orb except it came from everywhere. Instead of the warm glow of familiarity we were met with an endless river in the sky.
“The crystals floated in numbers so vast I do not know that anyone can count that high. As we watched, cowering where we could, the crystals descended. It was a violent thing. Like the wrath of the gods had been building for thousands of cycles.
“That is when the screams were the only sound left. Everyone was running, trying to get away, but the crystals were impossible in number. I took her by the hand and we ran. We ran as fast as our feet would carry us, but it was for not. As the sky fell we held each other in the middle of the village until our inevitable end came.
“The crystals started to land then. One hit me almost as soon as they reached the ground. Instead of the pain I was expecting I felt strength like I had never felt before. It was like jumping into a freezing cold river and then into a hot spring a moment later. I was full of life. My vision was sharper, my breath came easier, and I felt amazing.
“I looked around still clutching my love. The other villagers were absorbing the crystals as I had. They had a slight glow to them right after. I could visibly see the changes in some. Elmer, who had lost one of his legs when he was a soldier, suddenly sprouted a new limb like a tree. Others who were sick or old had new vitality. I looked down at my love to see her glowing slightly with a smile on her face and tears streaming down her cheeks.
“It wasn’t long before the messages appeared. We gathered and discussed the night away. It felt like only a moment before the great orb of Orus blessedly rose from behind the peaks. That’s when the goblins first attacked. We did not have walls before. We had no need. We were farmers, shepherds, and normal folk. We were protected by the mountains and the kingdom. They came in like wolves to a herd of caged sheep. We lost more than half of our number before we were able to run them off. Aponi, my love, my everything, was taken from me that day. She fought tooth and nail as I was frozen in shock by the monsters that had invaded. She died fighting and I could only hold her and cry as she let out her last breath.”
Everyone had stopped walking long ago. Adam hadn’t expected such a tale, but it was something he’d never forget. He saw the tears on Mina’s cheeks. He understood her hatred now, her bitterness. This change wasn’t some great adventure for the NPCs, no, the people living here. At that moment Adam felt like shit. He looked over to see Josh wore a similar expression as he felt. This wasn’t just some game. This was a living, breathing world, and everyone here was part of it now.
“I’m sorry lass,” said Drox as he patted her on the shoulder.
“That is why I will slay every goblin in the valley or die trying. I will never freeze again. I will act.” Mina seemed to be talking more to herself than anyone else.
Adam decided to change the subject before Mina asked about their experience during the change, or which they were not actually present in this world. “Do you know where they’re coming from?”
“Near the top of the mountain. There is supposedly an entrance to their home there. The scouts that came back reported, but we stopped sending groups out when our numbers began to drop. I know nothing more than that.”
The group started moving again. The incline up the mountain was almost unnoticeable. Adam thought about it for a moment and decided he would most definitely have been huffing and puffing at this point if he was back home. Josh walked in front of Adam with his sword magically floating on his back and tail flicking behind him.
That made Adam realize his weighted gloves were still equipped. He mentally opened his inventory and took them off to see that they moved from his equipment screen down to his inventory taking up one of the spaces. He sighed and put them back on. He thought he’d be able to sheath his gloves somehow, but he realized he was being stupid. Gloves couldn’t be sheathed; they could be worn or taken off.
Adam ran right into Josh just as he closed his inventory screen. His head smacked into Josh’s great sword with a clang.
“Ow,” said Adam as he rubbed his head. “Why did you stop?”
“Shhh,” said Josh. “I think I heard something.”
That’s when Adam realized the forest had gone quiet. Not just from the lack of their footsteps, but the insects, the birds, the natural sounds of a forest were gone. Something had made them go silent. Adam felt a slight tug on his body. It felt like a rope trying to pull at him from every angle. He looked down to make sure nothing had actually wrapped around him.
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A shriek shot through the forest that sounded like metal knives grinding against porcelain plates. It was followed by a series of clicking and rattling that made Adam’s ears ring. He looked over to see Josh and Drox both covering their ears.
“What the hell is that?” yelled Josh.
“Don’t know,” said Drox, “but it’s not good.” Drox jumped down from Mina’s shoulder. He had pulled off his little yellow backpack and unzipped it. Out of the bag he pulled the fire grimoire that was far too big to fit in the small pouch. The book was comically big compared to the bear but he held it up with ease. Everyone spread out into a small square.
“Watch out!” yelled Mina. She was looking toward where Josh was.
Josh pulled his great sword from his back just as a blurring black form blazed toward him from the left. The mass of feathers slammed into Josh just as he pulled his sword up to guard. Even then, he was pushed back pulling up the forest ground as he dug his feet in. Josh was frozen in place for a brief moment as the attacker came to a stop in front of him. It was like time slowed down every so slightly as Adam inspected the beast.
Name: Juvenile Harpy Level: 3 Fast and savage the Juvenile Harpy does not think before it attacks. With claws and talons to rival swords they are a fierce foe. Luckily they cannot fully fly like their adult counterparts, but they can glide and glide fast.
The monster had three wicked claws on each hand a foot long. Adam saw that its arms were connected to wing-like webbing that looked like those wingsuits covered in massive feathers. Its talons were equally long and sharp as it stood on two legs. The harpy’s entire body was covered in black feathers up to its neck. The head of the monster was eerily human with long, flowing white hair and the sharp face of a woman.
It screeched at Josh and he flinched back from the sound. Adam felt a wave of dizziness overtake him at the noise. He saw Josh’s guard falter and the harpy attempted to strike at him with one of her taloned feet. Adam moved toward his friend, but he wasn’t close enough.
A ball of fire the size of a watermelon slammed into the harpy exploding in a burst of flame that engulfed the monster like napalm. The harpy tried to screech again, but the flame rushed down its throat as it opened its mouth. It dropped to the ground in a smoking black husk as the fire went out as fast as it had come to life.
Adam and Josh looked over to see Drox smiling with his oversized book out in front with one of his small furry paws extended toward where the harpy had been. It looked like the bear’s paw was slightly singed black. Adam saw Drox’s MP fall by 50 points in the corner where his party menu was displayed.
Another screech rang out followed by an echoing chorus. In a flurry of motion harpies attacked from all angles at the group, and the battle truly started.
Adam felt the harpy before he saw it. His instincts screamed at him as he pulled his arms up as if to block a punch. These beasts seemed to glide across the ground rather than completely fly, but they were fast and powerful. Massive harpy claws raked across the iron plates on Adam’s forearms. It sounded like metal on metal grinding together. He knew if those claws got to him he would be in serious trouble. The force of the hit sent him sprawling into a nearby tree.
The harpy was upon him again almost quicker than he could react. He brought up his hand shielding his face as claws came down on him. A fireball shot out and engulfed the mass of feathers before Adam’s eyes. He barely had time to get to his feet before another harpy came flying out of the darkness. This time he was ready though. He put his back against the tree and planted his feet into the ground.
The creature didn’t slow as it approached and at the last moment Adam jumped out of its path. The harpy slammed into the tree stunning itself for a brief moment. He knew deep in his gut that this was an opening and he could take advantage of it. Flashes of the training he had never actually done came in waves across his memory.
He stepped forward quickly and whipped a backhand blow out with a snap that cracked the air. Just before the hit landed he activated Combo. His fist connected with the harpy’s face crushing its nose and spraying blood onto his arm. He heard a slight chime like a small bell ringing in his head as his hit landed. The harpy reared its head back and tried to screech, but Adam threw a quick jab into its throat. Two bells chimed in his head this time. The hit landed with a crunch and Adam felt the impact. He could feel that it was more powerful than the first. The Harpy gasped and Adam threw a haymaker from the right before it could recover. The blow sent the harpy crashing through the forest like a ball of feathers and blood. The third bell chimed in his head and Adam felt his body change.
It felt like he’d just drank twenty cups of coffee before slamming five shots. The world looked suddenly sluggish like he was drunk, but he felt like electricity coursed through his body. The edges of his vision were slightly blurred, but when he focused everything snapped into place. He could see everything moving just a little slower in his vision. The harpy that Adam had sent flying was charging back toward him in a mass of blood and claws. It had a blinking health bar that was all but empty. Adam smiled and readied himself.
At the same time that Adam was attacked Mina had planted her feet and drew her sword. Her shield, as always, was attached to her arm. She brought up her short, round, wooden buckler and prepared for the impact. The harpy appeared as if on cue as it rammed straight into her shield without abandon. It abruptly bounced off as if it slammed head first into a wall. Mina moved in with an overhead chop. The movement was quicker than the harpy could recover and the sword split the beast down the middle of the head. Blood shot to the sky like a geyser as the monster fell to its knees dying.
Josh was less fortunate as two harpies came at him with fierce determination and hate in their eyes. He could feel them before he saw them. He met the first as it came barreling out of the darkness. They clashed with swords and claws deflecting and parrying like long time warriors. Josh was quicker though and he knew it after the first few blows. The harpy overextended with a swipe and Josh saw the opening as clear as the sun on a cloudless day. Josh activated Power Slash. The edge of his sword glowed with a hazy blue. His sword flashed and the harpy’s head was freed from its body in one motion. He smiled as the second harpy’s claws raked across his back leaving massive rents in his body and ripping his shirt to pieces. The pain was so great that Josh’s vision went black as he fell to the ground just as a fireball engulfed his attacker.
Adam watched it happen and knew he wouldn’t make it in time, but he wasn’t without the ability to help. As the claws of the monster tore at his friend’s back he felt for the magic of the Emerald Leaves spell deep in his stomach. He pulled it out and casted it toward his friend. Adam watched the ethereal green leaves shoot toward his friend as Josh’s HP dropped. The forest was lit bright with the green glow as the spell rushed for Josh. The emerald leaves reached Josh as he hit the ground. His health was dropping rapidly as blood flowed from his wounds until the magic reached him. Adam couldn’t wait to see what happened next as his attention was turned back to the harpy coming for his face.
The flying monster was clear in Adam’s vision. The forest surrounding it was blurred. Adam was hyper-focused on the beast. He felt that it was the extra speed rushing through him that made it possible. The harpy tried to screech but its throat was crushed and all that came out was a small rattling. Claws flashed, but Adam saw them coming slow enough for him to block. It wasn’t that it was slow, but instead Adam could see the hit coming much clearer than before. He brought his forearm up and metal met claws as he blocked. The creature’s other hand came flashing down and Adam brought his fist and slammed it into the incoming claw. He watched the bone of the monster shatter into pieces. Adam took advantage of the moment and cocked his fist back and shot it out again draining the last of the harpy’s heath points.
Josh’s eyes shot open as the energy coursed through his body like a soothing river running through his veins. He felt his wounds close and pushed himself up just as the others ran toward him. He actually felt pretty good all things considered as he looked at his health points that were back up to 60.
“Are you okay?” asked Adam as he made it over to his friend.
“Yeah, I think so, but I think I might have been done if not for that spell of yours.”
“By the gods lad that was a close call,” said Drox. His book had been put back into his little backpack and he was looking up with concern at Josh. “You should be more careful. I’m not too keen on going back to the underworld so soon.”
Josh looked down to see his shirt fall off in pieces after being shredded by the claws. He looked like some sort of demon action figure with his perfectly chiseled body. He sighed.
“Anyone got an extra shirt?”
The group of dead harpies burst into thousands of tiny blue crystals and the party was hit with a slew of notifications as the gems rushed into them.