Alright you beautiful people! Xeno is back, back, back from the dead tonight!
Ahem, sorry. That song is just stuck in my head lately.
Anyway! I'm glad to have you all here, for the new and improved 'A game of death and life', with its first ark: 'A game of Humans and Dragons'!
The biggest differences from the previous version will be:
1) John is going to be cut out from the story. Sad, I know. Some of you people liked him, and that both him and Daniel had someone who could always keep up, but… it wasn't meant to be. It was a very big hassle to keep track of both characters'… everything. Plus, considering also Sora and Nox, there were four Gamers in the story. Yeah, never again. If people still want Sora, I can arrange something, but otherwise you're shit out of luck.
2) The Game system was modified heavily. The changes will be visible trough the chapters, but don't worry: one way or another Daniel will still be our beloved spellblade. Maybe with less idiotic spells. *cough* Acheomensis *cough*
And with that said, let's have a round of applause for this chapter's, and hopefully the whole story's, beta! ShadowfireAngel! Thanks, bud! You've done an awesome job!
-?, ?, Daniel's POV-
"Ugh… I feel like crap…"
My head was swimming, but I could see that I was in some weird place that didn't feel even remotely familiar. I took a minute to steady myself, and when I did, I studied my surroundings. Wherever I was looked barren, just an endless, iridescent void that looked like the cosmos.
I don't know how much time had passed, but I blinked. Once I reopened my eyes, I found myself sitting down at a small table, still in this endless void. I didn't even feel myself moving, so of course that spooked me. Hesitantly, I blinked again. The table was still there, but another being was sitting opposite to me.
Whoever it was, they looked very similar to Tom Hiddleston, just… much more androgynous. It was actually impossible to tell if they were male or female. The being smiled.
"Welcome, child, to the branches of Yggdrasil. We are currently in a branch that is between Midgard, your home, and Asgard, my own home. My name is Loki. I assume you know of me."
As I registered the being's…Loki's words, I felt my mind's gears screech to a halt.
"Huh…" I muttered, "Guess the Norse were right all along…"
Loki had definitely heard what I said, as their smile became more pronounced. "Not only them. All religions are true."
Mind. Blown.
After a minute or so, I collected back my thoughts well enough to speak again. "Alright, but anyway… I suppose I should ask, why am I here?"
Loki's smile became cold. "I can't answer that yet, I'm afraid. Let's just say that I keep my promises. I was asked by a good friend to help you reach your full potential, and I intend to do just that."
I felt shivers crawl up my back, Loki's stare was burning holes into my own eyes.
After what felt like an eternity, they let up. "Of course, I can't do it without your approval… my friend would go rabid if he found out." Loki snickered to themselves, stretching a hand towards me. "So? Will you accept my help?"
I stared at the offered hand for a minute, before speaking up. "What will you do if I refuse?"
Loki shrugged nonchalantly. "I'll wipe your memory, wait until you have a son, and then ask him the same question. I did so with your grandfather, your father, and now with you." They gave me a pointed look. "I'm immortal. I have all the time I want."
This time I gave Loki a glare of my own. "And if I agree? What would happen, exactly?"
"Bah, power, adventure, women, whatever you want, really. Of course, only if you accomplish one certain task for me." They noticed my narrowing eyes. "Oh, don't look at me like that. It's not all that complicated, and, of course, I'll help…to an extent. After all, it is you who must do this."
Seeing that I wasn't convinced yet, they relented a bit. "Oh, fine. I'll make you a promise: if you can reach the peak of human power, I'll tell you all the details on this task. Then, if you think you can't or don't want to go on, I'll send you back home to when I took you. Deal?"
I gave Loki a textbook deadpan look. "That would take years, decades even. Do you think I'm an idiot?"
They were quick to shoo away my concerns.
"Normally, yes, but you do have a god on your side. It would take around a month, with my help. And again, after that little quest I have for you is done, you can keep the power and go home, or do whatever. After that, I have no more business with you."
I sat and pondered for what felt like an eternity...It probably was around ten minutes. In the end, I relented. Loki didn't strike me as actually evil. Mischievous, maybe, but I felt like they would keep their promise. I shook Loki's hand, and they laughed. It wasn't an evil laugh, but not a mirthful one either. It was…empty, really.
"Good choice, child. Now, off with you."
And just like that, I blacked out.
-1st day, Avalar, Daniel's POV-
I woke up with a start, and immediately I found myself falling…straight into a river.
"Oh, fuck you Loki!" I screamed in my mind, as I tried to not drown, or to slam into any rocks. It took a while, but after about fifteen minutes of getting washed to and from any direction, I hit land. Literally.
"Ooof!" I grunted, feeling my breath escape my lungs from the impact.
I dragged myself onto the ground proper, and only after I got about three meters away from the edge of the accursed river did I finally let myself relax. Well, more like drop to the ground face down. I just wanted to lay there for however long it would take for the aches to fade, but apparently fate had other ideas for me. Some minutes into my resting, I could hear the foliage around me being disturbed by something.
"An ape? Here? That's absurd…those beasts must be planning something." I could hear someone mutter just loud enough for me to hear, although, that probably that wasn't his intention. He probably thought I was unconscious. Might as well play along.
"Mrgh… Where am I?" I ground out, doing my best to give the impression that I'd just woken up.
Whoever was there did something…from the sound of it…he unsheathed a sword? "Who the fuck uses swords anymore?"
Only once had I looked in his direction, I realized what I was dealing with…it was a fucking Khajiit! Although it looked kind of wonky, the basis was all there! Feline face, fur all over, looked ready to tear me a new one… one of those wasn't like the others. So, back to Cat-man over there, he was holding a sword at my throat, and looked about ready to extend his arm another couple inches.
"Uh…hello?" I said, hoping to defuse the situation. It didn't work.
"Don't play games with me, ape. Your kind are not welcome in these lands, so you'd better tell me what you are planning, before I decide to force the information out of you." He growled out, probably trying to sound intimidating…he actually was.
"Look, man, I have no idea what you're talking about, I literally just woke up in the damn river, and passed out once I got out of it! I haven't the foggiest idea on how I got in there in the first place! You gotta believe me, dude!" Not my proudest moment, admittedly. Still, I was creeped out of my wits, and this furry guy threatening to kill me certainly wasn't helping!
The Cat-man looked at me disdainfully for a while, before snorting and slamming the pommel of his sword in my temple. While I was dazed, he moved behind me and tied my arms behind my back. He then hoisted me up to my feet, and forced me to move forward.
"I'll let the guards deal with you. I've got more important things to deal with." He muttered.
While I was walking, everything became monochrome, and nothing moved. In front of my eyes, a light blue screen popped up.
*ding*
I promised I would help, didn't I? Well, here you go! I looked a bit through your memories, and I took something that would let you get powerful without requiring too much meddling on my part! Sooo… here's your very own version of the 'Gamer' ability! I'll be a bit different from the original, but you should be able to figure it out. If you have any questions, the 'help' screen is just a thought away. So, I hope you enjoy your time!
-Loki
Well, if that's right… "Status."
*ding*
Daniel Samuels – The Gamer
Race: Human (+1 LUK every level)
Gp: 0
Lv: 1 (Xp: 0/100)
Hp: 40/40 (+0.8/min)
Mp: 10/10 (+1/min)
STR: 3
VIT: 4
AGI: 2
DEX: 3
MAG: 1
LUK: 1
Stat Points: 0
"That's…way worse than I'd expected…or maybe humans are way weaker than I expected?" Regardless, I had a mission: to reach the peak of human limits as soon as possible, and get my answers from Loki!
*ding*
New quest- This is what peak performance looks like!
Rank: C
Objective(s):
1)Reach level 20
2)Get answers out of Loki (+3.750 Xp, +250 Gp)
Bonus:
1)Complete the quest within a week (+1.000Xp, +100 Gp)
2)Complete the quest within a month (+500 Xp, +50 Gp)
Well. At least quests were still a thing. I couldn't see any accept/decline button, so I assumed that self-imposed quests would be automatically accepted.
Once I closed that window, the world started flowing again… "Damn it! I could have made a DIO reference there!" And with that little thought out of the way, I began walking, letting the Cat-man guide me.
It took a while, but we finally stopped for the night. While we walked, I experimented with the system, and found out a couple of important details. Mainly about my skills. Basically, it worked like in Skyrim: different spells don't level up singularly, but their use gives Xp to their own branch. For example;
Skills:
-Magic
-Divine (Lv: 3/100, Xp: 10/225)
-Observe (Novice rank, 1 Mp to use)
-Create/Escape ID (Initiate rank, 25 Mp to use)
The Divine branch leveled up a bit since I used Observe here and there whenever I could. It only gained Xp when the spell was successful, though. Each spell was apparently dependent to its branch's level.
Observe (Novice rank, 1 Mp to use)
Grants information on the target.
Can only scan targets of a level less or equal to Gamer's + level of Divine magic. Rule doesn't apply to inanimate objects.
So, in other words I could only scan beimgs of a level of 4 or less. Joy.
Actually, the Divine branch was the only one present on my skill list… maybe I had to learn the skills before they would appear? Possible, it would indeed help in keeping things less cluttered.
And finally, we had the Perk screen.
Perks:
-Gamer's body
-Your body is nigh indestructible as long as you have Hp. All damage that would be received will be displayed as a loss of Hp or a status effect. Sleep can restore any wound. Bodily needs are dampened.
-Gamer's mind
-Your mind cannot be altered in any way other than by the Game itself. Mental fatigue negated. Excessive emotion can be dampened or negated, depending on user preference.
-?
-Your ? flows strong.
- -100 REP to all ? aware of this perk
- +100 REP to all ? aware of this perk
- Grants title '?'
Ominous-looking perk, ain't it?
Anyways, technical bull-crap and mysterious perks aside, this asshole Cat, which I couldn't Observe, of-fucking-course, decided to tie me to a tree. Without bothering to feed me. I mean sure, Gamer's body helped in making me need way less food, but it's the thought that counts!
Shaking my head, I concentrated on my plan: there was a decently sharp stone near me, so I was going to wait until the wanker was asleep, then take the rock, cut the rope, and bugger off.
It took around an hour or so of waiting, but finally he was deeply asleep. After some maneuvering with my feet, I managed to hold the stone, and slowly but surely, the rope was being cut. After a minute or so, the rope was thin enough that I could snap it. A thought popped up into my head, and I tried it out on a whim.
"Inventory." I thought, and sure enough, a window with a massive grid on it popped up. I scrolled the screen with my finger, and watched in fascination as the squares just kept going on and on. Experimentally, I pushed one end of the rope into one of the slots, and with a ripple the rope disappeared into the window.
×2 rope pieces added to inventory
And since I also had a seemingly infinite space, I also put the rock in it.
×1 sharp stone added to inventory
With that done, I decided it was time to high tail it out of there. At first, I sneaked away, and when I felt like I was far enough, I started jogging away. I didn't really know where I was going, I just thought that the farther I was from the Khajiit-wannabe, the better it was for me.
After probably a couple hours, and one extra VIT point, I found myself in a nice little clearing. There was also a river here, probably a branch of the one I fell into, or something.
I inspected the area a bit more carefully, making sure that there were no threats in the immediate vicinity. Once that was done, I allowed myself to rest a bit. I didn't exactly need it, but it still would help.
While I was resting, I decided that it would be a good time as any to start strategizing.
"So, my physical stats are my best trait right now, until I find a way to train my MAG. Of course, I won't be able to create IDs until I increase it, so I'll need to put in a couple points once I level up. The question is, how do I level up? Well, hunting could be a decent strategy for now. I could also just get some skills and level them up, considering that I got some Xp from leveling up my Divine branch… yeah, that'll work."
With my basic strategy hashed out, I decided that first things first, I'd need a weapon. Looking around I found a couple straight branches, looking around two meters long.
×4 long branches added to inventory
A bit of sharpening with my sharp rock, and…
Skill branch gained: Crafting
Skill gained: Weapons
Created: Wooden javelin (Poor, Simple)
I grinned like a loon. I could make weapons, AND level up at the same time? Hell yes!
And with that, I created more javelins. Two more were just the same as the first, each giving 10 Xp to my skill. Then, my luck spiked. A bit.
Created: Wooden javelin (Common, Simple)
It seemed that the Xp gained from the skill increased compared to the rank of the items made…maybe also the complexity. The Common javelin gave 20 Xp, so that was nice. Maybe if I…
"Observe"
*ding*
Wooden javelin (Common, Simple)
Durability: 15/15
DMG: 8
A javelin made by Daniel Samuels. It's not very sturdy, but it can kill something.
Woo! 40 Xp to Divine magic! So, I could spend my time making weapons, then I'd Observe them, leveling two skills at once! Actually, maybe…
I took one of my Poor javelins, and threw it at a tree around ten meters away from me. I was aiming for the center of the tree, but my aim was off, and I just nicked the side. Still, the effect was what I needed.
Skill branch gained: Combat
Skill gained: Javelins
Yes! So, I could also use the javelins for something! Power leveling, here I come!
Er…I may have been wrong on one thing. I needed a fuck ton more javelins before power leveling up. I had broken one, and was halfway through the second one before my Javelin skill leveled up even once, earning me a measly 5 Xp.
And that's how I found myself searching around for more branches. Fuck my life.
Well, for some happiness, I found some berries that my Observe classified as edible, among a bunch of others that were poisonous. Of course, I took a bunch of both.
Branches found! It took a couple hours, though. In the end, it was worth it. Of course, I observed everything I put in my Inventory. I didn't get more Xp for Observing the same item, but multiple items that were just the same worked. Noice!
I brought everything to my clearing…well, 'mine' might be pushing it a bit, but for now no one was complaining, so I was going to keep doing that. And so, I started grinding again my Craftingand Divine branch. I'd rather avoid wasting my javelins to level up my mastery, since I could do that while fighting.
Back to it I go!
Day 2, Clearing, Daniel's POV-
"Oh my GOD! This is taking so fucking long! I swear, I'm bored out of my mind! It's morning at this point, too!"
As you can tell, my day wasn't going that well. All of my crafting and Observing did nothing more than land me at this.
Lv: 1 (Xp: 40/100)
I wasn't a happy camper. Not by a long shot. So, I thought. How could I speed things up? Well, after some fiddling with my crafting branch, I found that making more complex things would net me more Xp for the respective skill!
Some pondering, and I got just the right idea: I scoured the plains, and plucked a lot of long grass leaves. Then, I went to the river and picked up a good amount of rocks, mainly those with a more triangular shape. I subsequently went on to smashing the rocks together to find the hardest one. After that, it was a long process of chipping the other rocks until they had a decent edge and point.
You got it already?
Well, I wove together the grass leaves, and made some rope! Shoddy, of course, but it would hold. Have to remember to thank mom for teaching me. I also got the skill for making tools, and leveled it up once.
I kept one of the ropes in the stash, you never knew when you would need it, and tied the stones to the javelins, creating…
Rock spear (Common, medium)
Durability: 30/30
DMG: 12
A rudimentary spear made by Daniel Samuels. Better for stabbing than slashing.
×X×X×
Rock spear (Poor, medium)
Durability: 20/20
DMG: 10
A rudimentary spear made by Daniel Samuels. Really brittle. Better for stabbing than slashing.
I had three common spears and a poor one. The quality was probably determined by the quality of the materials I used, since at the end I had to use a poor javelin, having finished my common ones.
And Observing all of these leveled up my Divine magic again! I was finally three quarters of the way through!
…what a drag. But I suppose that such is life for a grinder. But let's be honest, once I could use IDs my level would skyrocket. Little steps, Daniel. Little steps.
Since I had no more materials, I decided to get my new skill out of the way. I positioned myself in the middle of the clearing, and begun stabbing, spinning, and slashing at the air…or at least I tried. Never did I say I was very coordinated. I mean, my AGI was 2 and DEX was 3! Oh, never mind, it was 4. Forgot about the point I got while weaving the ropes.
At least I did get a Spear skill out of it. And, it got a good amount of Xp from my flailing. Guess that I found something I could actually power level other than my Divine magic.
I had to take a rest after reaching level 3 in Spears, but I got a VIT point for the strain. My Hp went up too!
So, I went on, and if I calculated correctly, I should have reached the awaited level up just after the next level up of the skill.
*ding*
Skill: Spears leveled up! (3-4)
*ding*
Daniel leveled up! (1-2) You get 5 Stat points!
Impatiently, I opened my status, and sure enough…
Daniel Samuels – The Gamer
Race: Human (+1 LUK every level)
Gp: 0
Lv: 2 (Xp: 5/200)
Hp: 60/60 (+1.2/min)
Mp: 10/10 (+1/min)
STR: 3
VIT: 6
AGI: 2
DEX: 4
MAG: 1
LUK: 1-2
Stat Points: 5
I wanted to consider carefully the pros and cons of each stat, and possibly come up with a build that could be devastating, but… this level would be used for one thing mainly.
Hp: 60/60 (+1.2/min)
Mp: 50/50 (+5/min)
STR: 3
VIT: 6
AGI: 2-3
DEX: 4
MAG: 1-5
LUK: 2
Stat Points: 0
And that was, increasing my Mp. Plus, MAGIC, BOI!
I could probably go for a mix of physical and magical combat, but for now I just wanted to get a feel for combat, and then see what was meant for me. Plus, I knew only two spells.
And now, finally with enough Mp to try it out, I mimicked Han Jee-Han.
"ID create!"
And the world rippled around me.
Everything was…empty. There was no sound at all, only pure and utter quiet. It was… kind of creepy. And concerning. I pulled up Create/Escape ID's window to check what I had done.
Create/Escape ID (Initiate rank, 25 Mp/use)
Allows the caster to create a superimposed copy of the world around them, completely devoid of life other than plants. The higher the Divine skill is, the stronger the beings that the caster can create in the ID can be.
*note: if only 'Create ID' is said, then the ID created will be automatically an empty one.*
ID available:
Empty (base)
Zombie (Divine Lv: 5)
"Oh." Welp, that was easily fixed. I was just going to wait five minutes for my Mp to recharge enough to try again.
Oh well, back to my spear I go.
5 minutes, and a new level in Spears, almost two, later, and I could open the zombie ID!
The sky was red, and groans rung out in the distance. I held up one of my spears, and moved into the woods. The Game at least had a minimap for me, although it could only see in a radius of up to ten meters in any direction. After some walking, a red dot popped up on my map, and I could hear some distinct groans and moans from my 2 o'clock.
Pivoting, I made my way carefully, doing my best to not make any noise. It also netted me the Sneak skill, from the Stealth branch. I hid behind a tree, and Observed my opponent.
Zombie (+50% Hp, +20% STR & VIT)
Lv: 3
Hp: 50 (75/75)
Mp: N/A
STR: 7 (8.4)
VIT: 5 (6)
AGI: 2
DEX: 1
MAG: 0
LUK: 0
A dead body brought back to life. It wants to eat leaving beings. Doesn't know you're here.
"Well, I'm a bit faster than it, plus my coordination's better, so I should be able to defeat it as long as I stay evasive." I planned. I put away the spear in my inventory and aimed at its head with one of my javelins. Instead, I hit its throat.
Critical hit! 23 Damage!
Hold up, THAT's how much I could make with a critical?... then again, my poor javelins had a DMG stat of 5. It did balance out.
While I was musing on that, the zombie managed to pull the javelin out of its throat, and threw it away, shambling towards me. I kept my distance, throwing two more javelins. Fat load of good it did.
2 Damage!
2 Damage!
So, I decided to forgo the useless things, and tried stabbing with one of my spears.
6 Damage! Stunned!
While the zombie was stumbling back, I took the chance to give another look at its Hp.
Hp: 50 (42/75)
… that was bullshit. Then, I realized something. "The first javelin dealt an absurd amount of damage, since it gave a critical hit. Welp, let's see if I can do it again."
I poured all of my power behind my thrust, and managed to score a hit right between the zombie's eyes!
Vital hit! 39 Damage!
The zombie fell down, but it wasn't dead yet. I could see it twitch still. A stomp to the head fixed that.
Critical hit! Vital hit! 22 Damage!
Zombie Lv: 3 was slain! You gain 225 Xp!
Skill gained: Unarmed
Daniel leveled up! (2-3) You get 5 Stat points!
Due to your frenetic fighting, you gained 1 AGI!
Daniel Samuels – The Gamer
Lv: 3 (50/300)
Race: Human (+1 LUK every level)
Gp: 0
Hp: 60/60 (+1.2 Hp/min)
Mp: 50/50 (+5 Mp/min)
STR: 3
VIT: 6
AGI 3 - 4
DEX 4
MAG 5
LUK 2 - 3
Stat points: 5
I could have just kept the points, but… I was way too weak at the moment to be greedy. Once I could comfortably dish out damage, I would start hoarding.
STR: 3 - 6
VIT: 6
AGI: 4 - 5
DEX: 4 - 5
MAG: 5
LUK: 3
I actually felt kind of bad for all of that, but… oh well. It would be worthless to hoard points for later, if I could barely stay alive now.
And so, my killing of the zombies continued.
Well, that was very productive…and destructive. I broke three of my javelins and two of my spears, but I managed to kill almost thirty of those SOBs! The Xp gains were unbelievable for the first few kills, but once I reached a level higher than theirs, the Xp was reduced drastically. Still, fighting them net me another point to VIT and DEX each. Plus, both me and my skills leveled up a bunch of times.
Oh! My Spears skill reached level 10, and I got a perk!
-Spartan I (1/5)
-Spears deal 5% more damage
I assumed that all of my skills would do that, so it was another thing on the list of reasons why I was happy. And finally…
Daniel Samuels – The Gamer
Lv: 10 (350/1.000)
Race: Human (+1 LUK every level)
Gp: 20
Hp: 70/70 (+1.4 Hp/min)
Mp: 50/50 (+5 Mp/min)
STR: 6
VIT: 7
AGI: 5
DEX: 7
MAG: 5
LUK: 10
Stat points: 35
"OOOH MY! THAT'S A LOT OF POINTS!" I thought. I considered how to actually spread my points this time. On one hand, MAG wasn't really used right now. On the other hand, I really wanted to learn magic. On one hand, my fighting style was mostly physical. On the other, MAGIC!
So, I came to a mix of both. I chose to put one point in MAG for every level gained, keep around 10 points for later use. Everything else was fair game.
Hp: 100/100 (+2 Hp/min)
Mp: 120/120 (+12 Mp/min)
STR: 6 - 12
VIT: 7 - 10
AGI: 5 - 10
DEX: 7 - 11
MAG: 5 - 12
LUK: 10
Stat points: 10
Perfect. The power…was intoxicating. I was already looking much more athletic than I'd ever been before. And the magic…I could feel it coursing in my veins! It was amazing!
*ding*
You MAG is over 10! Your magic core has been awakened!
Skill gained: Manipulation
Bringing up Manipulation's skill window, this is what I saw;
Manipulation Lv: 1 (?/?)
One's ability to manipulate the mana within their body.
What was up with those question marks? And… "Manipulate the mana within me? Hold up, maybe I got it."
I emulated Jee-Han once more, and tried to converge my mana into the palm of my left hand. Key word being 'tried', as I could only make it move a couple centimeters at best, before it snapped out of my control.
"The fuck was that?! I can't control my mana?... wait. Maybe that's what the question marks mean. I can't start immediately controlling my mana, since I need to understand how to control it on my own first!"
*ding*
Skill: Manipulation leveled up! (1-2)
+5 Xp
"That's the thing? That's what I needed to level it up? Understanding what I had to do?! You asshole! I'm the Gamer! You can't make me learn things like normal people!"
With that little tantrum done, I took a deep breath and calmed down. That was the only skill I got that behaved like that, so maybe it would be the only one ever? I sure hope so.
Before all of that debacle, I'd escaped from the ID, in fear of the boss making an appearance. There was no way that I could fight a Legion Zombie, or whatever other boss this version of the Game concocted, in my current state. I was going to need a proper weapon, some armor, and much better stats.
So, there I was, making my way to the clearing that I started calling my new home. Albeit temporarily, of course. Once I got there, I went to the biggest tree I could find, and started climbing it. I did that both because I wanted to see my body's new limits, and because I was wondering if there was anything of interest in the area. Better be safe than sorry.
Five minutes later, I was sitting on a branch about twenty-five meters up from the ground. Scanning the surroundings revealed a surprising sight; there was a town in the distance.
"Note to self: check out the town tomorrow."
*ding*
New quest- Ally scouter
Rank: D
Objective(s):
1)Reach the town and study it.
2)Avoid ?
3)Meet ? (+1.500 Xp, +100 Gp, ?)
Bonus:
-Befriend ? And ? (+300 Xp, 20 Gp, ×1 ? each)
Well, I knew what I was going to do tomorrow.
*gurgle*
"Oh, now I get hungry? After two days of running around, now I get hungry? Bah, at least I have something edible with me." While I ate some of my berries, I thought about the implications of that. "It seems that I'm not immune to bodily needs yet, although they are very lowered. I've needed to eat only once in two days, after all."
Once I was done with my meal, eating about half of my berries, I found a decently comfy spot between the branches, and went to sleep. Just because I didn't need it, didn't mean I couldn't enjoy it. Plus, old habits die hard.
-Day 2, ?, ?'s POV-
"What I wouldn't give to be a dragon. Or a cheetah. Hell, I'd even settle for a mole! At least I wouldn't have to listen to that idiot's orders. Let alone his stupid underlings."
The sun was setting, but I knew it wouldn't matter much. Maybe a ten-minute break to eat something, and then we would be back to marching. Gods, did I hate that life.
"Alright, maggots! We're stopping for dinner! Be quick, we're leaving in ten minutes, there's a lot of ground to cover!" The commander barked out. As you probably guessed, I hated him too.
In all honesty, I thought that the whole operation was a suicide mission at best, and an awful idea at worst. If we died, at least Egul would be left with less soldiers, and a bunch of fleas. If it did succeed…he'd still be a fleabag, but he'd be a very powerful fleabag. And if he kept it up, he'd be surrounded by a bunch of powerful fleabags. An awful prospect, really.
I actually missed Khaara's reign. Of course, the old coot wasn't all there anymore, but he always had a good heart and thought about his people first. Egul, instead, was just a spoiled brat with an ego bigger than Malefor's mountain. The worst part was that he was an intelligent and cunning brat, too; he, along with some 'friends', and I use that term loosely, convinced the majority of the council that the Apes had a right to rule over everything, and developed a way to actually make it possible.
I feared for the precarious balance of the world, but most importantly I feared for my family. I didn't want them to get involved in that bullshit. My son was near to turning 16, meaning he could get conscripted into the army in times of war. And with that mission, war was a very real possibility.
Two days, and we'd get to that Canaan place. Two days, and a war would break out.
"I feel sorry for that hatchling. I doubt it will survive the process."
And cut! So, how was it? Too slow? Too fast? Too long? Too short?
Too many questions? Maybe. But still, I want to see the favorites, follows and comments rise trough the roof!
Let's give this story something to be remembered by!