Chapter 13: Save the Cat
Casey led the group through the plains to a particularly steep hill. The loose shale on top was held together by a few sparse patches of grass which was stubbornly eking out a living on the harsh slope. The entire journey the group was prepared for an ambush. The knowledge that the Omnis were in the area had them on edge.
They managed to reach the hill without incident, and they used the grass to climb up the perilous slope crawling the final few feet to the top of the slope before peeking over.
Movement drew Riley’s eye to their left, North, and he saw the bustle of the Omnis working on building something as a group. They had a few lookouts posted, their rifles in hand and ready to be used. In a pile near the lookouts were the bodies of a few of the Trapdoor Spiders, some Deer, as well as the body of a single Amanita Man. The guns proving effective against the denizens of the dungeon.
The largest part of the group was working with beams of wood. Freshly cut based on the color of the wood. Some of the group were using axes, others hammers, and there was even a single saw. Another part of the group was working on turning the long grasses of the plains into a braided rope. The level of industry baffled Riley. How could they have accomplished all of this in the two days they had been here?
Heather cursed under her breath drawing Riley’s attention away from the Omnis towards where she was looking. Across from the Omnis, hidden by a good hundred yards and a hill in the way, was an Angel. Because that was the only description Riley’s mind could come up with. Their light brown hair was perfectly curled in a manner that looked effortless, their face perfectly sculpted, and their piercing brown eyes visible even from so far away. What gave it away though were the pair of large white wings protruding from the figure’s back.
Riley scanned the monster.
Tragnar, the Terrific - Level ???
As soon as Riley scanned him, he realized he made a mistake because Tragnar turned its gaze in their direction, looking directly at Riley. He saw only disinterest in the angel’s eyes, and it went back to what it was doing.
Scott must have noticed it at the same time as Riley, “Is that the cat?” he whispered.
It looked like the same cat which had sicced the entire Unending Horde on their group. Riley scanned it.
House Cat - Level 15
“Psst, Riley, that cat’s a higher level than you,” Scott snickered next to him. Riley elbowed Scott in the ribs in reply.
“Guys, I think I fought him before,” Heather said. Her eyes never leaving Tragnar. She was worrying her lip and there was uncertainty in her gaze. She shook her head breaking the spell before elaborating, “or a least a version of him. In the trial. The final round the last boss was an angel. If I’m right, then we’re in big trouble.”
Before she could elaborate further the Omnis finished what they were building drawing every eye to them.
“Is that a catapult?” Casey asked, incredulous.
“Trebuchet” Nermit said.
“What?” Casey asked.
“It’s a trebuchet,” Riley said. “See the counterweight?” Riley pointed towards the front of the device where there was a wooden bucket filled to the brim with stones.
“Trebuchet, catapult, who cares?” Casey asked.
“Everyone knows the difference between a trebuchet and a catapult,” Scott said, happily piling on.
“Shut up Scott, you don’t know the difference either,” Casey shot back.
“I know the difference,” Scott said smugly. “That’s a trebuchet because of the counterweight on the end there.” He was pointing towards the wrong end of the device. “Plus, trebuchets are cooler. Everyone knows that.”
“I think we’ll get to see if that’s actually your angel,” Riley said, interrupting the siblings bickering. The group of Omnis were gathering at the top of their hill, posting up to look towards Tragnar. A separate group was aiming the trebuchet towards the angel. The Omnis were planning to get themselves into a whole lot of trouble.
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
Once the device was aimed two of the Omnis very carefully loaded the sling on the end of the arm of the trebuchet. They pulled out a sac from the body of the Amanita man, taking care not the rupture the organ as they loaded it into the sling. They grabbed a second sac from a nearby location, this one they carefully filled with a bright red liquid. The pair finally dropped in a few bullets to the mix and readied themselves to launch the payload.
Heather cursed, “the cat!” Riley looked over at the angel and remembered the little fur ball. It was currently rubbing against Tragnar’s legs dancing away from the angel’s questing fingers. Tragnar seemed content to let the cat barely evade its grasp, a small smile on the angel’s face as he played with the fearless feline.
“Pull!” Riley just barely heard, and he turned in time to see the Omnis who had been next to the trebuchet sprint for the top of the hill as gravity and physics did their dangerous duty and shot the payload in a direct over towards the angel and the cat.
The group could only watch in morbid fascination as the two sacs sailed over head reaching the apex of the arc before gravity reasserted itself. The aim had been spot on.
Tragnar must have sensed something because its gaze snapped up. It only had time to reach out a single arm before the world erupted in a blaze of fire. An inferno consumed Tragnar and the sound of the bullets added in the end could be heard going off as well.
The concussive blast drowned out whatever Scott was saying and he had to repeat himself a few times before Riley finally heard him, “did they just make a bomb!?”
The inferno cleared leaving a bloodied angel in its wake. “He’s okay,” Heather shouted, relief obvious in her voice.
“What?” Riley asked, confused. The angel was far from okay, and even if he wasn’t wasn’t that their ultimate goal? But her words soon became clear as more of the debris cleared and showed a golden bubble of force covering the cat who was hunched down on all fours with its ears laid back.
The only spare moment Tragnar had before the attack he had used to save the cat. Riley couldn’t believe it.
As he watched Riley could see the injuries disappearing from the angel, his pristine form soon returned. It looked as if he had never have been at all. The Omnis cheering died down as the angel turned in their direction and picked up a single pebble. They scattered and just in time too as Tragnar threw the pebble which moved with such force it exploded the hill they had been standing on and carried through to the trebuchet behind it. The trebuchet exploded into splinters.
Tragnar then turned its attention back to the cat, trying to soothe it.
“What the DAQ just happened?” Casey asked.
The Omnis were still scrambling, some of them risking grabbing their tools from the wreckage of their previous work area. Others fleeing north back towards the spawn point, fear wisely winning out.
“Those guys are dangerous,” Riley finally said. He couldn’t get the image of that explosion out of his head. The level of craftsmanship of the trebuchet was almost as equally concerning given the short time frame the Omnis had to complete the project.
“I told you,” Casey said. Her eyes glaring daggers in the backs of the fleeing Omnis.
“I didn’t think…” Heather trailed off. She looked towards Casey and took a deep breath. “You were right, we should have been more wary of them.” It looked like it pained her to admit it.
“How were they able to do all of that,” Riley gestured in the direction of the trebuchet, “in the short time we’ve been in here? Without any masks, no less.”
Scott shook his head, “I told you, these guys have been preparing for the day we come for them since they’ve been born. They may not have masks, but they’re not dumb.”
“What even was in that payload?” Riley asked, still trying to wrap his mind around the situation.
“Part of it was the spore sac,” Scott said. “I think we’ll find our new ability to be very flammable. I don’t know what the other piece was.”
Nermit, who had been watching all of this in silence so far, decided to chip in. “Slime.”
As usual his one word response was right on the money, Heather managing to figure it out. “It was a red slime, basically liquid fire. Put both of those together and, boom.” She turned her eyes towards where Tragnar had finally managed to calm down the cat and was now holding it. The area of the explosion was obvious as all the grass and debris were cleared in a large area around the angel. The only spot unaffected was where the cat had stood. Everything else was scorched earth.
“This means war,” Heather’s tone was harsh, her gaze didn’t leave the angel.
“I don’t think we can take on Tragnar as we are right now,” Riley said, hesitantly.
Heather spun on him, fury in her face. “I don’t mean with the angel. They tried to kill that cat.”
“DAQ yeah!” Casey said, pumping her fist.
“Wait, don’t you think that’s going a little too far? It’s just a cat…” Scott’s voice trailed off as he caught the glares of both Heather and his sister. Heather because of her righteous fury, and Casey’s because she still had a bone to pick with the Omnis. He put his hands up in defeat, wilting under their combined glares.
Nermit and Riley exchanged wide-eyed glances. Knowing he would regret it Riley opened his mouth, “we still need them to complete the dungeon.” It was now his turn to come under the combined glare of the two girls, but he met their eyes. He didn’t like it, but someone had to say it.
“So, you would side with those monsters over the saint of an angel who saved the cat?” Heather’s tone was low.
“I’m not saying I want to,” Riley said in a placating tone, “but the quest.” He shared his screens with the group, pulling up the relevant quest.
Defeat Tragnar The Terrific (Required)
“I don’t care,” Heather said simply. “Are you in, or are you out?”
All eyes were on Riley now. He wished he had summoned his mask as he felt his face turning red. “Of course I’m in,” he said. And he was. The actions of the raid group had left a sour taste in Riley’s mouth too. But he couldn’t stop himself from worrying about the final quest. The angel had gone from being completely bloodied to being fully healed in a manner of seconds. He didn’t see how they could possibly defeat it with just the five of them.