Xander was tired. So very tired. The last Challenge had worn him thin. He had been depleted of most of his Qi, and not even fumes of his Mana had remained after the fight. They rested barely an hour by the Doors before they had to move on. The Second Challenge was about to start, and they weren't in a position to even contemplate it. So they moved on. Leaving the piglets behind, they moved on.
Of course, he knew they didn't exist, not truly. Every time Pathers went through this way, they would meet the same piglets. And again they would be beset by the wolves. Sometimes they would even die. Sometimes they would survive. But it was one thing to be told about it. It was quite another to experience it. He took a long breath, and let it out slowly. He was tired.
He opened his eyes and he was back in the Jungle. In all, with Connor, they had felled five dog-sized Frogs. Three of them had had the time to burp fireballs at them. Thankfully they hadn't been that strong, nor that fast. But any more, and they would have been in trouble. His Qi and Mana were back at the rock bottom. With a cloth, he absentmindedly wiped the sweat from his brow, or maybe that was just the nearby waterfall fog's water, he didn't know, nor did he care. Then he wiped his sword clean before sheathing it.
Connor thankfully was fresher than he was, but he had sadly less to bring to the table besides his bow and arrows. They both knew that it had been a risk, for him not to slot another Jade, but it was ultimately his decision, and not one Xander would fight him over. Hopefully, they wouldn't need to fight too much. That they had to fight at all was a surprise, and not of the good kind. Which led to his current predicament. What do we do now? He had looked around, on either side of the waterfall, were big walls of jungle. Behind them was a cliff, and in front of them... probably more cliffs until they reached the bottom of the valley.
Besides, who said the Village had to be outside, it could very well be underground like Sandford's was. He sighed. "So what do you think, Connor?" he asked. "Up or down? I don't want to try the Jungle right now." Meanwhile, Xander prepared himself for their coming trek. He checked his armor once again. The plated leather jacket was showing more than signs of wear. Connor had seen to the worst of it, of course. It had been cut several times over. But it felt, frail. Maybe it was just a psychological thing, of course. Besides, his greaves were worn, but still serviceable, at least for a time. He had a short iron cap on his head, hiding most of his dark blue hair. That had been a recent addition, a side product of Connor's experimentation. In fact, with the failing die, he looked like a washed-over rat, with bits of cut leather here and there curling out of position and iron bent out of shape.
Connor looked at him, and then at the waterfall. "I don't know. I don't think we can climb the wall. At least, not today. We aren't equipped for this... yet." Of course, he could get them some of the required gear, but it would take time. He added, "Besides, dragging Takeo upward will be complicated. It would be easier if we could go down. That way, either you take it with you as you Step downward, or we wake him up somehow and get him to Teleport himself down."
Xander took another look downward. Sadly from their current position, they couldn't get a good view of what lay below. But he had to agree with his friend, it was most certainly easier for them to go down. Not to mention that they would tire less quickly. "Alright, then, let's deal with the loot, and then we'll go down."
Connor took the Task, and with a swipe of the hand over the corpses, they disappeared in a flash of light, leaving behind a few items. He showed Xander the Orb, it wasn't even Bright. I could have bet on that, he thought, they offered practically no resistance. Connor stored everything in his Spatial Ring, leaving only splashes of blood, broken rocks, and burnt moss behind.
Xander took hold of the wheelbarrow his friend had tinkered from the Barn's material. It was a simple thing, without any flourishes, but it seemed sturdy. On it, their friend Takeo was taking a nap. Or so it could seem to the untrained eye. In truth, he was in a Stasis, a Deep Meditation that regenerated him. A regeneration he was in dire need of. Xander still felt bad about all this, despite knowing that he couldn't have done anything about it. Luck was fickle, and maybe the following day, it would be him on the stretcher. He sighed and started pushing the wheelbarrow.
They followed the outlet of the waterfall. It was strangely accessible, Xander noticed. He had expected the Jungle to reach for the river itself, forcing them to turn the wheelbarrow into a stretcher. But no, the trees were content to leave a small path for them, on either banks of the river. Regularly, holes in the flat stone that served as their walkway appeared, letting reeds grow out of them in thick bushes. The river's water was clear, and probably a meter deep. There were many rocks in there and Xander couldn't begin to guess if any of these were in fact fishes.
As silently as possible, they walked. Connor had his bow half drawn and was a few meters in front of him. Both of them knew by now that every plot of reeds was a potential hiding spot for one or a few Frogs. But they didn't dare force the issue. So long they left them alone, they would leave them alone. All around them were the sounds of the jungle. Birds cackling, insects buzzing, and animals moving around. He hoped that whatever those were, they wouldn't be interested in them. Their first foray into a forest had been a learning experience, but it had been strangely not inhabited. This time he was pretty sure it wasn't the case. He had already spotted a few birds in the sky already. Long-legged things, with long beaks, and long necks. Long and tall. He hoped his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. These shouldn't be taller than them.
Let's just hope they won't see us. He thought. He had no idea if they were dangerous or not. But he didn't want to find out.
Connor turned and made several hand signs. Stop, Investigation. Their hand language was short, and they hadn't pushed its development past a very select few words. But it was enough for them to communicate. Xander stopped and took out his sword. He desperately needed some Perception Jade, or just get his Qi to help him out. Meanwhile, he would have to pay attention the old-fashioned way. His sword drawn, he checked in every direction, walking around Takeo's resting place. Connor had disappeared in the trees across the river. A simple jump had been enough to see him across.
Xander didn't like that, he felt eyes on him. He tried to open himself to his Spirit Guide, as maybe it could help him figure out a solution to this problem. It wasn't silent, but... his Guide was a bit obtuse, sometimes. Connor hadn't provided any further indication, which could mean many things and nothing at all. But since he had switched to the other riverside could only mean one thing. Whatever he had spotted was on this side. Xander was, in fact, a bait. Not that he cared, he had been prepared for this. Maybe, just maybe, they could have seen their hand signal vocabulary a bit further. But it was too late for that.
He turned to look downriver. He didn't look at the jungle's wall of trees directly. He let his focus widen, taking in the underbrush, the large fat leaves, the little oranges and purple plants that were barely a few centimeters high on the ground. That's when he spotted something. A slight alteration, a growth even, in an otherwise straight trunk. It wasn't a massive tumor, probably just a few more centimeters there. But what caught his attention, had been a movement. A very slight movement. He couldn't betray his focus, but if there was something there, there might be some other elsewhere.
He felt out of his reserves. He hadn't had time to meditate to replenish anything, they had had to move away quickly from their last fight, as the noise would have been sure to draw some unwanted attention. His Qi would probably allow him one extended slash, or a Step, but nothing more. His Mana... he could probably torch his blade once, or switch places with Connor, but not with a foe. He would have to rely on his swordsmanship. He centered himself, letting his worries flow away. His frozen friend wouldn't move, and Connor was probably already in a position to snipe whatever would be revealed.
Instantly, his body went from barely tense, to the full deployment of his strength, and he Stepped toward the distortion, hacking at the weird tree overgrowth. His sword parted the air with a hiss, and a fine trail of blood soon followed along with a broken-in-half body of a lizard man. It was a small thing, barely a meter long, with a long tail and a colorful scale pattern. He didn't linger on it, if there was one, there were surely others. In death, it had appeared again, so whatever that was that hid them, was probably an Ability of some sort. He ran back toward their charge but saw a blur already in the air above his friend.
"Shit," he muttered. But thankfully an arrow found the unsuspecting lizard's face, killing it outright. Thank Lord Robert for their weakness, he muttered.
He heard some more movement from the foliage around him, but they soon reduced to disappear in the noise of the jungle. "They left," he said, uncertain, for Connor's sake. A minute later, his friend reappeared. He had another cut on his armor. Xander frowned, "Anything of interest over there?" he asked.
Connor shrugged. "Strange vines, strange purple grass and plants, even strange mushrooms," he whispered back. "But nothing truly interesting."
Xander pointed and looked at the notch in his friend's leather jacket. "Some of the plants in there don't take kindly to being disturbed, that's all."
"Right..." He wasn't impressed. He sighed and went back toward where he had cut the lizard in two, and grabbed the corps out of the underbrush. The thing was slimy and some critter had already been nibbling on its head, leaving a few scratch marks and bitten meat. It bore absolutely no claws and barely any teeth. Their eyes, on the other hand, were particularly weird. They were set on the side of their head, on top of little yellow protrusions. They can probably move them around, he mused. These specimens wore no armor and their scales seemed weak to the touch and his sword. Little victories, he thought. He had spotted a nasty-looking spear on the other hand. A meter long, with a bone hook as a tip. Maybe that comes directly from the Frogs from earlier? he wondered. He didn't touch any of it, especially since there seemed to be some coating on the weapon. He didn't want to risk it.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
He turned to Connor, "On we go," he whispered. His friend quickly looted the corpses and dashed back to the front. It didn't take them long to reach another cliff. This time they were at the top of it. The river had carved a path through the stone, and right beside them, launched itself into the airs and fell into a pond below. Once again, the pond surrounding presented rocks, stone pikes, and battle signs he could spot even from thirty meters away. "Your guess is as good as mine," he mumbled. "But I think we're going to have company down there."
Connor shrugged, "We'll see. But I won't bet against you on this one." Both looked at how they could get down. Had he been fresh, Xander would only have had to Step maybe twice on well-placed trees. But he wasn't. This said he could probably do it without Stepping, there would be a few more steps to take. He could handle it. He looked at his friend, "I'll go first, with him. Cover me." He was getting terse, a bad sign.
"I'll just follow you down some. I don't want to stay here...," he said, looking around. Xander nodded. He took his frozen friend under his arm. Funny how a few Orbs can change your perspective on things, he observed. He plotted his course. The body in his arms would unbalance him somewhat, and it was cumbersome to hold. "Sorry about all that, Takeo," he whispered. "Thankfully you won't remember any of this." He took a deep breath and started his descent. He had to get away from the waterfall, as it was making any steps, or landing beside it treacherous. So he moved away, toward the left. With a jump, he reached a bent trunk below. His landing made the wood creak, but its roots were well anchored. He switched his friend's position and took him in a one-armed hug. He took another breath and jumped again, with his left arm, he caught on a branch, and this time, it cracked under the strain, but that was what he had been hoping for. He landed into a tree a meter below. His friend was sturdy in this form, and it protected him. Thank you, mate.
He looked up, Connor was already halfway down. He had found himself a position that would allow him a good enough overview of the battlefield below. Xander hesitated to leave Takeo in his current tree. It wasn't that far from the ground and they would be easily able to fetch him from there. And should he fall, he shouldn't break himself. He took his decision. With a knife, he cut a few vines, tied them around his friend's waist, and secured him against the tree's trunk. It was a cheap job, but it didn't need to last more than a few minutes anyway.
He went down, and soon enough, he was standing on the ground, his sword ready. His eyes were peeled for any movement, any sign of danger. He had made noise while climbing down, rocks had been dislodged, and even a branch had fallen, so there was no way he hadn't alerted whatever lived here of his presence. He was standing, back toward the cliff. In front of him, were half a dozen stone spikes, just like their landing zone. Most were laden with moss and plants, but a few were devoid of such flora. He didn't like that, nor did he like the fact that moss had been disturbed recently enough to show the stone underneath. Clawed free.
Something made him jump to the left, and a tongued hook clattered where he had been. With a swift slash, he cut the offending tongue. Angry croaking almost made him miss the shivering ground, but he didn't need another tell, as he had been expecting it, to dash away as another fresh stone pike went up. He didn't know where that came from but he had to stay mobile. Three, maybe four Frogs were in attendance. The fog around the waterfall probably hid one or two more, he didn't know. Yet none were clawed, so he probably had another foe to deal with. Pikes came out of the ground, and Xander dashed around, trying to limit his exposure to the danger. He needed to get closer though, if he wanted to have a chance to hit them.
He suspected Connor kept his presence hidden in case the mysterious beast joined the party. But he didn't spare more thought on that. He was limited in his options. He needed reach. As he ran, he came up to a fallen stone pike, split into several segments. Clawed away? but discarded the concern as quickly as it had come. He grabbed one with his left hand and threw it in the Frogs' direction. Despite being a poor throw, it bowled away at least one of them. He took another, kept it for later use, and dashed this time toward his foes. He went from pikes to pikes, using them as cover, and when he had a clear shot, he threw his last improvised weapon and followed right behind it. This time, he didn't stop, he felt the ground rumbling, and only pushed harder. None of his magical Abilities were of any use here, so he relied on his trusty sword and training.
He had been reminded that these weren't to be feared. They were weak. And so he punted the first one, and with a quick slash, cut the second one in half. He didn't stop his momentum though and dashed onward, as a pike impaled the remains of the sliced foe. He chopped at a third that was getting back up, it was already battered, it was probably one that had received one of his stones. It didn't survive the encounter. He continued his frenzied run, a quick slash there, a kick there. And he was soon surrounded by corpses. He was panting, and his sword was heavy in his hand. He reached for his pouch, but unlike last time, dodged away when he felt a slight breeze reach him, letting his pouch fall. He ran toward the nearest pike and turned around it, just in time to see a massive shining claw tearing into the stone he had been hiding behind.
He didn't have time to think, he just reacted. Whatever it was, was probably on the opposite side of the stone pike. He took a risk, and used the last dredges of his Qi, to Step behind the stone pike, and thrust his sword with all his might. He felt it connect, and felt the resistance of the bones, it slipped against some and went deeper. But, as he was about to take his sword back, he was propelled away by another clawed lizardman. He had probably cracked a few of his right side ribs, and he was bleeding heavily, the offending beast had dug deep.
Xander rolled on the ground and came to a stop. He expected the other shoe to drop and had his Thorny Shield ready to spring, but nothing came. He saw three arrows sprouting from the bestial feathered lizard. He didn't care, he needed to reach his pouch, what had been an opportunity earlier had now become an emergency. His Qi had been depleted by this last fight, which made every movement painful. He felt himself grow cold. Or maybe it was just the waterfall's fog? His mind wandered some. He had been so close...
----------------------------------------
When he came back to himself, Xander was sited, his back against one of the stone pike. He had been stripped bare, and his wounds had been cleaned. He wasn't bleeding anymore, but he was still in pain. He looked around and saw that Connor had been busy. He had brought back Takeo, and the wheelbarrow/stretcher was again operational and in use. What he didn't expect was the elderly woman standing like a heron, one leg firmly planted on a stone pike, the other resting on her knee. She was looking at him, her eyes were hidden behind deep wrinkles, and her hair was a mix of white and grey. She was wearing a very elaborate poncho, bearing hundreds of motifs. Her hands were hidden behind her back, and her wrinkled old face hid whatever emotion she was feeling.
"What's happening? Who are you?" he croaked. Lord, but I am thirsty and hungry. He couldn't move, his body felt so weak.
"Shut up, Xander, let me handle this," grumbled his friend. He wouldn't object to his friend's request. Not that he could anyway.
The old woman cackled, "A feisty one, I love them." Her gaze shifted toward Connor. "So, young man, will you please introduce yourself and your friends?"
Diplomacy wasn't Connor's forte, but right now, Xander couldn't afford him to be reckless. Yet, he trusted his friend to do the right thing. "I'm Connor," he said and tried to keep calm. "On the ground is Xander, and on the stretcher is a Newcomer named Takeo." He was wary, and he should be. This elderly woman was strange.
Well done. See, you survived being almost polite.
"Of course, of course, a Newcomer even," she cackled again. Her wrinkly face turned serious. "Let me offer you a trade. I'll offer you something to help your friend Xander here, and you'll do something for me. How does that sound? I may even have something for that kid of yours." She pointed at Takeo, who was awake? When did that happen?
Connor's hands were already firmly closed and were now trembling a bit. Neither of them liked such a deal because both knew that Xander needed more help than they had if they wanted to reach wherever the village of this Haven was. "What do you want?" he asked, not agreeing to anything.
"Oh," she cackled some more, "Prudent are you?" She looked at Xander and then at Takeo, "I like that. I like that a lot." Her face shifted once more toward Connor. "Don't fret yourself to death, youngster. I'm just some passing old woman, what could I possibly want from you that I couldn't do myself?" She cackled again. And then she jumped toward the ground. She landed with a thud, and her poncho flapped around her. She was smaller now that she was on the ground, and revealed a large wooden backpack that she deftly set on the ground. An apothecary's chest, he thought. She truly might have something to help us out then. Connor seemed to recognize it too, as he relaxed a bit.
She winked at them, and opened several of the numerous little drawers, taking a bit of this and that, ground them into a mortar, and finally mixed everything into some grease. All this in a flow that betrayed impressive experience. She then took a small pot and poured the mixture into it. It was faint, but Xander saw a flickering of light appearing on the pot's surface. "There, see, it's fresh," she cackled some more and threw the pot to Connor who deftly caught it. "Find me ten Brown Stellate and ten Red. I'll be waiting for you at the Village." She cackled one last time. "Oh, and ware the sheep, they have a tendency to bite." And with that, she took her backpack and jumped away. She jumped from the ground to higher than the trees. And that left all of them speechless.
"What just happened?" asked Xander, his voice still weak. But none of them understood anything.
Connor was the first to get himself together. "I don't know. But you need this stuff." He opened the pot and took a whiff. "It smells like a healing potion, but I don't know if it's the real deal." Their Master had always warned them against using any Potion, Balm, Herb, or Powder that hadn't been identified by someone of trust.
"Give it to me, Connor," asked Takeo. He summoned his Book, "Maybe it can tell us something about it?" Connor quickly agreed. It was easy to forget he had such a useful Book when it wasn't flying around.
It only took a second, as Takeo quickly confirmed that it was something that would help Xander. "It's a healing balm. The Book isn't exactly talkative about its efficacity, but it should be good, but it won't fully help with bones. Besides, I could probably put Xander in Stasis, and he would heal himself quickly. Maybe."
Connor seemed to think for a moment and sighed in defeat. "Let's believe we're in relative security for now. I'll apply it to your wound, Xander. And then we'll see what we can do about resting. I can't protect nor drag you both at the same time. Let's hope this thing works as advertised." Xander could only agree with his friend. He was tired, and he needed some rest.
Xander croaked, "Thank you, Connor. Takeo, do you think you can put me under Stasis? At least the time he works on my wounds? Whatever regeneration I take will be a boon." Besides, he was curious to see how it would work and maybe it could help him regenerate some of his Qi and Mana as well.