Zeus & Opal - Congolese Jungle
The pair had been running down the winding path through the jungle for some time. Sherry, the new name given to Zeus & Opal’s aunt, ducked and weaved between tree branches and vines which grew everywhere. Zeus and Opal struggled to keep up with her furious pace. It didn’t help that they were entering a part of the jungle the pair rarely traveled to.
“After hearing about Uncle all these plants are starting to freak me out.” Zeus turned to Opal.
“I know, it's like you can’t tell if they're trying to attack us or not.” Opal said. She had never considered plants of all things to be a threat. It didn’t help that the vines and branches were moving.
The jungle was clearly different now. The plants pulsed with a new energy that hadn’t been there before. Vines crawled up trees and grew in size. Ferns flexed their wide leaves as if they were large green hands grasping for something just out of reach. Large flowers bloomed overhead in streaks of reds, yellows, and blues. Everything had a slight glow to it.
“Hold on,” Sherry began slowing her run and raised her hand in a signal to Zeus and Opal. The siblings followed suit.
“It’s right ahead.”
The winding path that the three were following had begun narrowing. Large branches from different trees had twisted together overhead forming an arch which dimmed the light passing through the jungle. After a minute of walking under the vegetation, an opening appeared ahead. Light shone from the opening and the group crouched just outside peering in.
The leafy area had large dark brown roots spread out, covering a lush green carpet. Four large trees encircled the area with their branches and leaves intertwined. Turquoise moss covered the trunks and roots of the trees. Zeus saw the phrase “Verdancy - Eudicot” at the top of his HUD.
“Oh!” Sherry cried out and covered her mouth.
In the center of the clearing was “Richard,” the name that the SLP had picked for their uncle. The burly, squat hominid was entangled in a mess of vines which sprouted from one of the large roots in the ground. He was moaning in pain as the creeping tendrils crawled their way over his body, clearly making it hard for him to breathe.
Sherry darted out from the opening and ran straight to Richard.
“Richard! Richard, can you hear us?” she began frantically pulling at the vines.
His eyes were open but glazed over.
Zeus tried to rush in to help but Opal held him back.
“Hey, do you hear that?” Opal was looking out over the clearing. A sound like a hundred flies buzzing in unison emanated from some unknown source. She glanced around quickly but saw nothing at eye level.
Then, Opal looked up.
“Zeus . . . I think we have a problem.”
Zeus followed his sister’s gaze and saw an enormous red flower nearly two meters in diameter in full bloom above him. The flower’s stamen protruded half a meter from its center and dripped with a viscous yellow nectar. The bloom was attached to a thick stem which wrapped around one of the four large trees ending in the roots which ensnared Richard.
As Zeus looked closer he saw the text “Uncommon Eudicot” just above its HP bar which numbered 200 out of 200. His own HP was only 30 and he looked to Opal seeing hers was just a bit lower at 25.
He turned to Opal.
“I think that thing has its vines wrapped around Richard.”
“I agree, but what can we do? We can’t kill that thing, its health is enormous. Almost ten times mine or yours.” Opal responded.
“Let’s just focus on trying to get him loose. We’ll cut the vines and run once he’s out.”
Opal nodded at her brother.
The pair ran forward to join Sherry who was clawing at the vines, trying to peel them off their uncle. Opal began cutting the vines with her dagger. Zeus saw that the vines were connected to an offshoot from the Eucidot’s main stem.
Zeus turned, raising his sword in the air. “This is for Richard!” As he started his swing, Zeus spotted the icon of his Swift Slash ability in his HUD. He focused on it and the icon turned gray. A timer appeared and began counting down from 30 covering the icon.
“Swift Slash activated” Zeus heard an electronic voice echo in his head.
As soon as he activated the ability he felt a great strength fill him and his swing’s speed rapidly increased. The blade flew through the air and Zeus heard a crunch as it tore into the green flesh of the plant. The slash had caused a deep gash to the plant and a shriek erupted from the bloom above. Green liquid spilled out of the wound and several of the vines that were covering Richard began to wilt. Zeus smiled.
“Opal, we’re doing it-whoa!” He had turned to celebrate the victory, but his celebration was interrupted as he felt himself squat down and then leap backwards towards the way they had come in.
He landed in an awkward fashion almost falling backwards but managed to stay upright. He looked up and watched as a stream of liquid shot through the air and landed right where he had been standing. The liquid hit the ground and began sizzling as the acidic substance ate through grass. Zeus shifted his gaze back to the vines covering Richard and saw a small bloom had appeared on a part of the stem near the gash in the offshoot. The bloom contained a small stamen which was slowly wilting.
“Watch out! It looks like it can shoot an acid from those blooms,” Zeus warned. Opal nodded at him and kept working at the remaining vines that were holding their uncle.
“I’ve got him, I’ve got him!” Sherry lifted Richard from the patch of vines. Between Zeus’s slash and Opal’s cuts the vines no longer bound the incapacitated hominid. Opal leaned over and began helping Sherry get her uncle upright.
As the pair lifted Richard up, Zeus spotted a bud beginning to sprout on another part of the stem directly behind Sherry.
Zeus jumped to his feet. “Run! There’s another bloom.” He looked at his Swift Slash icon but realized that he wouldn’t be able to activate his ability again while the timer was counting down.
Opal turned and spotted bud.
“You help auntie! I’ll take care of this.” Opal said.
Zeus was worried about his sister but nodded and ran over to Sherry who was struggling under Richard’s weight. He helped lift his uncle and the pair moved fast back to the clearing’s entrance.
The bud was almost open as Opal drew her dagger. She knew she couldn’t close the distance in time so she focused on the small icon at the bottom of her HUD.
“Throw Dagger activated.” an electronic voice said.
Upon activation she felt a second dagger appear in her offhand. Then, she pulled back her arm and fired the dagger in her other hand straight at the center of the bud. It flew through the air and split the bud in half just as it opened. She braced herself but nothing shot out of the small flower.
“C'mon let’s go Opal!” Zeus yelled back over his shoulder. He was happy to see that his sister had easily dispatched the deadly flower.
The short distance back to the opening had been made complicated by small vines and roots which repeatedly erupted from the ground trying to trip up the pair carrying Richard. And Zeus had to repeatedly hack at the plant matter with his sword.
Opal quickly backtracked towards them hopping over the twisting tendrils which appeared in increasing numbers.
As the group neared the entrance, Zeus looked back and was relieved to see that there didn’t seem to be any new buds along the stem of the Eudicot. The vines which had previously encased Richard had wilted entirely and the sprouting roots had stopped appearing.
Opal fished out a unit of consumable food from her basket. It was a crescent shaped yellow fruit and she fed it to her uncle who visibly improved upon eating it.
The group made it through the narrow opening and Zeus placed Richard on his back. As the four made their way back home they failed to see the small green sprout on Richard's right foot.
***
Regina - City of Ur - Outskirts
Regina had been walking back from her hunting excursion as she saw the lights glowing faintly from the city, her city. The walls, made of mud and clay bricks, stood 20 meters tall with walkways at the top. The right side ended in a river which wound its way through the city. The left side stretched far longer and eventually made a sharp turn creating an “L” shape.
Two ledges sat atop each end of the large engraved passageway which was currently blocked by the city’s gates. Regina couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride as she approached.
Look at what you’ve built, Mother, she thought.
Torches lit up the entrance and she could see the familiar faces of the town guards.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“Princess Regina, is that you?” one of the guards asked incredulously.
“You must get inside at once! Haven’t you heard about what’s happened?” the other guard said in a stern tone. He quickly approached Regina and motioned her to follow him.
“Why, what’s happening?” Regina asked. She was annoyed at the chiding guard but worried by his tone. She heard a creaking sound as a pair of workers used the pulley system to lift the large wooden gate. The ornate wooden door had been crafted to be one of the city’s many points of pride and the pulley system was the first of its kind as far as Regina knew.
She followed as the guards quickly walked through the entrance and began passing through the city streets. She heard a large thump as the gate was lowered behind her and it grew darker as the light from the torches was blocked. She looked around and could still make out most of the city through her memory and the dim moonlight which shone that night.
The city had taken centuries to build and some parts were still under construction. Queen Scylla, Regina’s mother, told Regina that it was the greatest city in the world. Apparently it all began when a small group of humans discovered how to farm crops in the same area continuously. “Agriculture” as her mother called it, is what separated the city from all other human settlements.
The streets they walked through were mostly residential. Tracts of mudbrick homes dotted the interior of the city. After walking a while, the group came across the city center. It was a large circle which hosted events and pop up markets during the day where denizens exchanged goods.
The familiar center filled Regina with all sorts of memories. She remembered Queen Scylla’s Great Anniversary, put on to celebrate the 30th consecutive year of her reign, as well as her own Ceremony of Inferior Heir.
As the youngest of her three sisters, Regina would only be eligible to rule if her first two sisters abdicated or died. While her eldest sister Mara had received the Ceremony of Heir Apparent, both Melia and Regina had received the Ceremony of Inferior Heir. The ceremony recognized their status as children of the Queen, with the caveat that they would not automatically inherit the Queen’s throne or authority when the Queen passed.
It always took place during the heir’s 16th birthday. Melia wasn’t bothered by it. The middle sister lacked any ruling ambitions, instead focusing on her studies. To Regina, watching Melia’s ceremony at 14, it was a grave insult. No matter how brilliant Melia was, she would never be considered for the throne.
Regina closed her eyes and thought back to the night of her own ceremony.
Afterwards, there had been an evening feast with her family and high ranking members of Ur’s nobility. Mara had just returned from a successful diplomatic mission to nearby human settlements. Although this was supposed to be one of the most important nights of Regina’s life, she felt slighted by the continued focus on her older sister.
During the meal, her mother gave a speech which she would never forget.
“Everyone, everyone!” Queen Scylla raised her voice to be heard over the many discussions at the tables. The evening feast was held in a room at the palace dedicated to events. Around a dozen tables dotted the interior of the large room which accompanied around 100 invited guests.
The crowd quieted and met the gaze of the queen.
“I am blessed to have such wonderful and talented children.” She gazed lovingly at her three daughters who were seated to her left at the head table.
“If only your father could have been alive to see who you all would become. He would be so proud.”
Regina felt a tinge of sadness in her stomach. She had never met her father, as he had died before her birth. Stories recounted that he had come from humble beginnings. The son of a well digger who had met Scylla by chance during a holiday market. His heritage had made him ineligible to rule, not that he had those aspirations in the first place.
“We are gathered tonight to celebrate my last heir, Regina, a bright hunter who will undoubtedly go on to accomplish many great things. Let’s hear it for my beloved.” Scylla raised a glass and the rest of the guests did as well. Regina couldn’t help but smile at the praise from her mother.
“We are lucky to have another one of my children to celebrate tonight. Heir Apparent Mara has led the first of what may be many diplomatic missions to the neighboring Uruk.” Scylla smiled at her firstborn.
“As you all know, we have had little luck establishing communications due to our differences. But Mara has finally found a way to get around that. Through talks we will become more formidable and establish Ur as the center of the world!” Scylla raised her glass again but the guests were already cheering at Mara’s accomplishments.
Regina could not hide her scowl of resentment. The constant competition she was in with her sister was exhausting and all of the moments that were supposed to be hers were stolen away again and again.
Mara smiled and waved to the guests. A brilliant glimmering stone hung around her neck. She had received the pendant as a gift from Uruk’s crown prince.
Stupid necklace, Regina thought as she gazed ruefully at her sister.
“Please enjoy the food and the wine, the festivities will continue all night. And as always give thanks for the blessings we have received from El!” Scylla raised her glass a final time as the guests cheered in applause.
Regina’s thoughts were interrupted as she and the guards reached the palace walls. The interior wall to the palace was much taller and sturdier than the outer walls of the city. The interior gate lifted and Regina entered alone since the guards were forbidden from entering the palace proper.
Regina was greeted by her sister Melia who came running up to embrace her immediately.
“Regina! Oh I'm so glad to see you’re safe.” Melia held her sister tightly.
“Where have you been? Have you seen the animals?! The fields east of the river, they’re completely overrun. Apparently a nest has spawned there. Mara is planning an expedition to go help. And Mother! Ever since the flash, her condition has worsened.” Melia was speaking so quickly that Regna was surprised she was able to breathe.
“Wait hold on, what do you mean overrun? And mother, I thought she was stable? I need to see her, Melia.” Regina was worried that her mother was worsening right when Ur needed her most.
“Follow me.” Melia grabbed Regina’s hand and turned as the pair entered the palace and ran up a staircase towards their mother’s room. A pair of the queen’s guards stood outside the entrance.
They opened the door and stepped aside as the daughters entered the room. Regina saw her mother laying down in bed. She noticed that her mother seemed unusually weak and fragile. In her HUD she saw the text “Queen Scyla” above a HP bar which read 1/45.
She walked over and kneeled down beside her mother. Melia stayed back and spoke with the guards.
“Mother, can you hear me?” Regina ran her fingers through the queen’s hair.
Queen Syclla opened her eyes briefly.
“Regina . . . is that . . . you?” she struggled to get her words out.
“Yes! I’m here Mother, I'm here.” Regina grabbed her mother’s hands, as if she could prevent the great Queen’s passing by squeezing tightly enough.
“Regina . . . come close . . . there's something I need to tell you.” Queen Scylla gestured to Regina with her head.
“Yes, what is it, Mother?” Regina leaned in close.
Suddenly a screen popped up in front of Regina.
“I’m only showing this to you.” the Queen said.
Regina read the text on the screen. Unique Task - Royal Ascent. Description: As the aging monarch of the Kingdom of Ur you have developed an incurable and fatal disease. The people of Ur cannot be hampered by an ineffective leader during the harsh conditions of the Contest. Accept the call of fate early and you will leave behind a generous reward for your subjects.
“Mother, you aren’t considering . . I mean you can still get better . . . Mother no! What will we do without you?” Regina was stuttering as she sobbed softly.
“I have already made my choice, child. Please respect my wishes. I want the reward to be handled by Mara. I haven’t seen her since the flash, as she has been off attending to more important matters.” Queen Scylla paused as she tightened her grip on Regina’s hand.
“I know you and your sisters will take good care of our people and lead Ur through this hardship. I place all of my faith in you three.” Queen Scylla smiled as her eyes closed.
“No, no, Mother.” Regina couldn’t control her sobs. Queen Scylla’s corporeal form began to fade and Melia rushed over.
“What’s happening? Mother?” She grabbed Regina by the shoulders.
“She’s gone, Melia, she’s gone.” Regina muttered under her breath.
“Get Mara over here now!” Melia turned her head and yelled at the guards. They nodded and rushed off.
“What happened, Regina?” Melia asked the question again, searching her sister’s face.
Regina thought for a second and pulled up her Character Interface as tears ran down her face.
Regina
Non-Mob Contestant, Hominid-Royal, Homo Sapien
Contestant Image
Backpack Image
Equipped Food - None
Equipped Weapon - Common Bow
Ammunition: 15 Woven Arrows
Equipped Armor - None
Fine Woven Cylindrical Basket
Slots Occupied: 1/8
Backpack Rank: Uncommon
Backpack Name:
1. Extra Storage
Backpack Effects:
1. Slots available: plus 7.
Consumable Food - Common Meat - Avian - 10 units
Woven Quiver
Drone of Kartuk
Book of the Simians
Unoccupied 7x
As Regina looked at the items a small image appeared above each one. She could tell from the name and the image that the “Book of the Simians” was indeed a book, but the “Drone of Kartuk” was more curious. The image showed what she assumed was a weapon.
What gives Mara the right to have all of this handed to her? She’s already inheriting the throne, now she gets mother’s last rewards too? Regina’s thoughts swirled in her mind, colored by the immense grief of her mother’s passing and the bitter anger she felt for her sister.
She closed the screen as Melia shook her.
“Regina, listen to me! What happened?!”
The guards shuffled back in with Mara and the eldest sister immediately rushed over to the pair. Mara knelt down and draped her arms around her sisters.
Regina hesitated and then spoke softly. “I-I don’t know. She told me that she felt herself going, she grabbed my hand, and then she. . .” her voice trailed off. She quickly hugged Melia, continuing her sobs.
“Don’t worry, I will lead us through this.” Mara said quietly. She brushed Regina’s hair lightly with her hand.
As Mara soothed her, Regina opened her eyes. The decision to lie had been made in an instant and she wasn’t totally sure it was the right one. Her sister had been trained and groomed to inherit the throne. She had handled diplomatic missions, fought in battles, and was respected by the nobility. Who was Regina to disregard the Queen’s wishes?
But in her heart of hearts Regina knew that Mara was the wrong person to lead. Mara was extremely proud and ambitious. She had a tendency to act rashly in perilous situations and Regina didn’t trust her ever since her Ceremony. With renewed resolve, Regina subconsciously strengthened her embrace of Melia.
Feeling the movement, Mara mistook it for anxiety.
“Don't worry, you two are safe with me.” Mara said.
No Mara, you are safe with me. Regina thought.