Book1, Volume 5

Chapter 51

Smiling, the two set off; They rushed towards the village, Michael's butterfly wings fluttering behind him. Crossing the field between the Witch's courtyard and the village, their steps wending round and over Kavi and Spidoll bodies.

Michael's new Bloodrose Dress flowing harmoniously with the movements of his body and his new powerful staff moving in rhythm with his steps. “I really thought this new dress would impede my running... causing me to stumble and fall... which wouldn't be all that surprising since I've never worn a dress before. And this very solid staff... it's longer and sturdier than the ones in sensei's class... it should be far heavier than it is. Must be magic.”

Syl gave Wylla an odd look, before shaking her head. “Or maybe it's some type of game mechanics? Either way, you look absolutely stunning in your new dress like a beautiful little fairy princess.” Syl commented with a lopsided grin, running beside a blushing Wylla. “As for my shield and outrageously oversized sword, they're also shockingly light.”

[ Or it just might be because they're Soulbound items. ;) ]

“Ah, so that's the reason... Thanks, Anari!”

[ You're Welcome Wylla. ]

“Reason... what's the reason?” Syl asked, feeling a bit like a third wheel.

“Soulbound... the reason for the way they feel and move is because they're bound to us.” Michael hopped over the side of a small cluster of bodies. Hmm... I wonder... He leaned down, quickly touching the body of another lifeless Kavi that he was passing by.

[ Unable to Loot. Sorry Wylla, you may only loot the bodies of which you have battled against or assisted others in defeating (i.e. being in a party or providing support through buffs, heals, and the like). You may also loot bodies that have been abandoned; That is bodies that have not been looted within 3 hours of death. ]

“Oh, that's good to know. Thanks again Anari!” Michael said, then repeated what Anari had told him to Syl.

“That is good to know. I don't know if she can hear me but thanks Anari!”

[ You're Welcome Wylla! And Syl! ;) ]

“Yup... she can hear you... and she said you're welcome.” Michael then focused on the path ahead, his breathing steady. They soon found themselves behind a truck-sized Kavi hut, readying themselves to enter the village.

PWUMP! PWUMP! PWUMP!

The low bass drums were still playing, coming from the left side of the village. Syl was the first to step out from the dark side of the hut and onto the wide dirt path. She had her shield strapped to her left arm, and her large tentacle sword in her right, standing in a guard stance.

Michael popped up a second or so after, staying behind Syl's guard, ready to unleash his Dreamnisca SnapDragons through his staff should any foe dare attack. He first looked right, Lampryns lighting up the row of huts on both sides of the dirt path, all of which had their doors wide open with no signs of movement within. He then looked left, towards the sounds of the drums and noticed the same thing.

“Strange, no matter which side I look there are no signs of life and very little bodies on the ground... the good news is none of the bodies are Spriggankin or Furbees,” Michael said, once again looking right and left making doubly sure.

“Eh, sounds like we missed all the fun. And I really wanted to test out my new toys!” Syl said with a slight pout, banging her sword on her shield as her tail swished behind her brushing past Michael.

“Hmm... I wouldn't mind testing out my new staff either. Still, we may get what we wish for if we head left, towards the sound of those drums.” Michael said as they both turned left and with Syl in front, proceeded to move briskly but warily. They kept their heads on a swivel, eyes moving about, in case any surprise attacks came from the dark open doors of the huts or from the dark evergreen canopy above.

The path twisted and turned here and there, leading them into a large round culdesac with a very large ornate hut standing right smack dab in the middle. Large Lampryn flora lit both sides of the hut, their light shining on the long wooden tribal masks hanging on the walls of the hut, bordering both sides of the large open door.

“Looks like we found the village chief's hut? And those smaller huts on the side probably belong to their elders or top warriors... I think.” Michael said, standing next to Syl in the center of the culdesac, eyes searching.

“Sounds about right to me,” Syl replied, her eyes mostly focused on the chief's hut. “This whole place is a ghost town. Maybe the drums told them to run and hide? If so... where too?”

The sound of the drums once again rang out, followed by a cacophony of shouts and noises.

PWUMP! PWUMP! PWUMP!

KAVI! SKREE! PWOOM! PWOOM! PWOOM! ATU'NO! KAVI!

“It's coming from behind the chief's hut... Sounds about a block or so away. Let's go!” Syl said, taking the lead as Michael nodded and fell into step behind her.

“How can you tell the distance Jen-Je... err... Syl?” Ah! I almost said it again! Think... remember... it's Syl...Syl, Syl, Syl... that's her name! Syl! Michael's strained face leaking the turmoil within him. Maybe she didn't notice... I need to quickly distract her with something... “How can you tell how far away they are Syl? Do you have some type of bat-like hearing Syl? Are you able to locate them with some type of echolocation... that's so cool Syl!”

“Huh? Oh... not sure if that's the case but I do know that one of my divine blessings is from Lykren, God of Beasts... It increases all my instincts and my senses, like my hearing. It's really cool, makes it easier to track my foes and increases my awareness so I know when there are people and beasts around me.”

“Ah, that is cool! My blessings mostly help with my magic; Increasing the strength of my spells, increasing my Oryn energy regeneration, and my health regeneration which is all useful in and out of battle.”

“Sweet, looks like we have something in common, I also have a blessing that increases my health regen...” Syl said as they rounded the chief's hut, stepping into the large backyard. “Oh wow, what a sweet courtyard.”

The area was surrounded by trees and foliage which acted as mostly closed off walls. There was a large stone pit in the center with earth flora benches set around it. Large well maintained plant beds, some sunken into the ground and some raised behind foot high earth flora walls, bordered the area releasing a wondering mix of scents. There was even a large cooking area on the right side perfect for barbeque nights.

“Come check this out Wyll,” Syl said, standing near the edge of the backside of the courtyard, looking down, pointing at a well-worn path leading into the dark Desparu Swamp Forest. “By the sounds and looks of it, they went this way!”

Michael hurried over, heart thumping fast and stomach fluttering. Standing next to Syl, he followed her line of sight, spotting the path while doing his best to look calm. “That's great Syl! You found it... Good job! Well then... what are we waiting for... let's go before it's too late!”

Nodding, Syl took the lead, stepping onto the path and entering the dark forested swamp. And while it was night, neither Michael nor Syl had any problem seeing their way in the dark, as they got nearer and nearer to the source of the ruckus.

Slowing their steps, they spotted a large multitude of shadowy figures ahead, including some round fuzzy ones bobbing up and down in the air. “Ah, that's them! The Spriggankin, and those shadows in the air should be Furbees.” Michael said smiling, feeling relief in his heart.

“Looks like they formed a large semi-circle... I think something big is about to go down.” Michael's glowing eyes looked into the air allowing him to see a large dark cloud of energy gathering above, just beyond his friends. “Let's hurry!” Michael's wings beat fast, his steps floating lightly above the muddy ground, propelling him forward as Syl closely followed.

He was greeted by buzzing from above as Princess Furbee flew towards him and a tootle-tu as Lunori popped up in front, bringing him and Syl to a stop just outside the semi-circle of friends. He was happy to see his friends alive and well. And anxious to see what was happening on the other side of the semi-circle but was much too short to see past all the Spriggankin.

Raising his hand he fluffed Princess Furbee “Thank you for helping my friends, Princess. You did a very good deed!” He then looked at Lunori, who was in very good shape and in high spirits as she held onto his hand. As for Syl, she was off to his side, a bit of a lopsided smile on her face, enjoying the show. With face slightly reddening, Michael spoke to Lunori, “This is my friend Syl, she's here to help. Can you lead us to the front so we can see what's going on?”

Lunori tootle-tu'd, turned to Syl, and waved her over. Syl, with shield armed and sword now in the scabbard (which had its tip dragging amusingly on the ground behind her) stepped forward. Lunori then took her hand as well and led them both with tootle-toot-tu's through the crowd as they opened the way for them to pass.

They broke through the semi-ring of Spriggankin, coming to a stop in the front of the gathering near the Old Raven. Looking forward, Michael and Syl were greeted by the sight of a tall Kavi whose face was covered by a dark oni treant faced mask wearing a large feathery leaf headdress. He was holding a great spear in one hand and a round glowing dreamcatcher-like talisman in the other.

His skin hue reminded Michael of redwood trees and he wore lots of bone and stone necklaces around his long neck which rattled when he hopped about. His forearms were covered in black leather bracers and there were off white tribal tattoos painted all over his shirtless torso. A dark leathery grass skirt completed the ensemble.

He seemed to be dancing about behind lines of Kavi and Spidoll guards positioned in the middle of a dark and twisted grove of trees. His masked face tilted up, saying words that Michael didn't understand as the dark energies above funneled down into the dreamcatcher talisman in his hand.

This is bad. All that dark energy... He needs to be stopped! Michael shifted his staff, holding it in both hands, and aimed at the chief. He gathered his energies and sent them streaming into his staff, wanting to attack that very second but right before he could Syl stopped him. “You can't,” She said, shaking her head. “Look past the chief to his sides, in shadows there. See them? 'People' strapped to trees.”

“Ah, they have hostages... no wonder the Spriggankin haven't attacked them. I didn't even see them back there... behind all those Kavi and Spidolls. Ugh, I miss being tall... I'd have seen them if I hadn't got changed into...”

Syl gave Michael a curious side look just as the Chief finished his chant; The Chief glared with angry gold eyes, sweeping over the crowd surrounding him, coming to a pause as they focused in on Michael, and then Syl. He pointed his spear at them, bared his yellowish fanged teeth, then spun around slapping his talisman onto the trunk of a large twisted tree which Michael's eyes told him was an ancient corrupted Starlyng Tree.

A large human-sized section of the trunk in front of the chief seemed to have turned into a thick gel-like liquid and began to swirl around in circles; Faster and faster it swirled making swishing sounds.

“Is that some type of summoning ritual? Do you think he's opening a gate... that we'll soon be flooded with beasts?” Syl asked, side-eyeing Michael while grasping the hilt of her sword with her right hand. “That would be... great! This game is just so... amazing! I can hardly wait to see what pops out.”

Michael grasped his staff tightly in both hands, feet digging into the ground, body ready to react. “No matter what comes out... We need to save the hostages!”

The magical swirling gate made a loud SWUSH sound and stabilized. Seeing Michael and Syl on high alert, the line of Spriggankin all readied themselves for a fight. But what happened next was not what they expected; The chief took a step forward, hit the heel of his spear on the hard ground, and shouted “KAVI! ATREN NOC FELD KAVI!”

The row of tattooed Kavi guards near the Chief, some mounted, quickly fell out of formation and ran straight into the swirling portal, disappearing from sight. The Chief then stood there for a moment, glaring one last time at Michael and Syl before turning...

“Yes! A quest... Into the Rabbit Hole.” Nodding, Syl turned towards Michael. “Eh? It won't let me share it with you. Says you have already completed your event chain quests. So that means, no can share... Well then, since that's the case, it looks like this is my exit.” Catching Michael by surprise, Syl gave him a hug with her right arm, since her left was still holding her shield.

With the side of his face pressed against Syl's ample chest, he heard her say, “Hahaha! I don't know how you did it... how you broke the game and changed... so much! But don't worry Lil' Wyll. You're secret... haha... you're secret is safe with... Oh, who am I kidding? You've never looked so cute! And I can't wait to see the looks on everyone's faces when they hear the news and get a load of the new you; Their jaws are going to hit the ground. And your best buds... heheheh... they're going to be fighting each other just to be next to you!... Well then, it looks like my rabbit has jumped into its hole so off I go.”

A half-frozen Michael then felt Syl's lips on his forehead right before being set free.

“Time to test out my bonus spell!” Syl laughed as she charged at the defensive line of Kavi blocking her way; Her shield secure in front of her, a wicked smile on her lips “Draic Wrecking Ball!” Her speed more than doubled as she became shrouded in a sphere of dark metallic energy; BAM!

She smashed right into the crowd of foes! Kavi and Spidolls were sent flying into the air like pins at a bowling ally as Syl came to a sliding stop in front of the portal which was already swirling to a close. With no time to lose, she jumped in as the portal swirled to a close behind her, disappearing with a POOF!

Michael stood there with a 'pokan' face, not knowing whether he should laugh or cry.

“Aargh! She knows! She knows... She's always teased me like that growing up, turning my middle name into that annoying pet name... Lil' Will. She's going to tell everybody... so embarrassing. What should I do?... What should I do!?! Think... breathe... think...” Michael walked in circles for a bit, ignoring the battle taking place around him as the Spriggankin sent the remaining Kavi and Spidolls running for their lives into the Desparu swamp and freed the hostages.

“That's it! That all I have to do... I just got to make sure I log out and get my gender fixed before she gets out of the starter area and tells everyone that I'm Wylla. That should be doable... after all she just started the game today meaning I have time on my side. Good.” Michael came back to his senses, the craziness in his eyes and the fluttering in his stomach fading away. He looked to his side, noticing Lunori looking at him, holding his hand trying to comfort him with soft tootle-tu's. And the Spriggankin were dancing all around, celebrating their victory and more importantly, the freedom of their friends.

“Ah, I'm okay Lunori... just had a lot of things on my mind but everything is going to be just fine. So let's share in the happiness all around us, we won! Yay!” Michael cheered, lifting his and Lunori's hands up in the air in celebration. Seeing this, the Spriggankin all marched in a circle around Michael and then started wending their way through the swamp, heading back to their Makai village.

Reaching the edge of the Witch's courtyard, Michael stopped and looked towards the group that was following him (which consisted of Lunori and her team and Princess Furbee and her entourage). “I have some stuff I need to pick up over there and 'someone' I promised I'd free. It shouldn't take long but feel free to go on ahead if you'd like.”

Lunori nodded and led the group to wait for him on the other side of the courtyard as Michael made his way to the Serpris cage where his cauldron sat in wait. Good... the Grimoire is also still here. Michael looked in the cage where the Moon Serpris still 'stood' guard over her young. “Thank you for looking after my things. Now as promised I'll set you free.”

Michael lifted his staff, then brought it down hard on the cages lock WHAM! The lock broke and fell to the ground as Michael opened the door and then stepped back giving the Moon Serpris and her two young plenty of room to go by. Michael's eyes glowed as he watched them slither past to freedom, hissing their thanks. So cute! A silvery-blue baby Winter Serpris and a golden-red baby Sunfire Serpris... if only their father... No best not to think about it. Huh... what's that on the far corner of the cage?

Michael entered the cage and made his way to the corner. Oh, poor baby... you're Mother must have thought you were dead. Kneeling down, Michael scooped up a tiny silvery-white and midnight blue baby Starlyng Serpris that looked to be the runt of the litter. “Poor Baby... if it wasn't for my Oryn Spirin Eyes I wouldn't have been able to see the dim aura surrounding your body and have thought you were dead too. So don't blame your mother and siblings for leaving you behind; They didn't leave because they didn't love you okay. Now let's make you better so we can get you back to your family.”

Michael carried the baby Serpris back to his cauldron, and having no better option, removed the Grimoire from its carrying bag and placed the baby inside. He then strapped the now baby Serpris bag across his shoulder, stuffed the Grimoire back into the cauldron, and looked at the cauldron. “Why are you so heavy? Since your soulbound to me shouldn't you be light like my staff?”

[ Comparatively speaking Wylla, your cauldron is much lighter for you than before. And as much as I'd love to watch you struggle to push and pull it everywhere you go there is another way... to get it to move. ;) ]

“Really? How so Anari?” Michael asked, head slightly tilted with his free hand gently patting the baby Serpris carrying bag and his other hand holding his staff.

[ Just use your Oryn energy to examine the cauldron and you'll find your answer within. ]

“Oh, is that so... thanks Anari!” Michael bent down, touched the lip of the cauldron, closed his eyes, and gently sent his Oryn energy within to explore. After a few moments, he opened his eyes with a smile on his face and said, “Cauldron Flora Animus!”

Thick evergreen roots shaped like tortoise legs and covered in fluffy spiln fur sprouted from around the cauldron's bottom, lifting it up off the ground. Its front sprouted a bloodrose bulb shaped like a turtle head with a pair of long leafy fox-like ears. And a short fluffy evergreen tail grew from behind.

Michael immediately felt a connection and knew that it would follow him. A small section of his Oryn bar was grayed out, dedicated to constantly feeding the Bloodrose Cauldron Turtle (for what else would he call it?) the Oryn energy needed to stay in this form. “Yosh! Once you get bigger again I'll be able to take you for a ride, but we'll need to work on your speed.”

Michael and his new companions made their way back to Lunori's group, who were waiting for him. He asked her for a Healing Nectar fruit and carefully fed it to the baby Starlyng Serpris. Satisfied, the group started their journey back through the Desparu Swamp Forest.

Along the way, Michael couldn't help but be lost in thoughts, thinking about all the things that had happened as Lunori guided him; Like his battle with the Witch...

“I won... but there's so much I could have done better in that fight. One, I could have summoned up Earth Flora Walls to block the Witch's chains from binding me. Two, I could have sent Earth Flora Spikes to pierce the Witch's... nethers when I was bound. That would have pushed her out of spear range saving me from all that dodging and blocking. Three, I could have pierced her multiple times with my tail when I had her in my grasp and flipped her on her back. It would have been even easier to do so, all I had to do is just use my tail to sweep her legs out from under her and help lift her over. It's just I've never had a tail before so I'm not used to using it in a fight... or magic for that matter.”

“And Syl! Now that she knows... no... don't worry about that now. I'm sure I'll be able to log out of the game and get everything fixed so she'll have no proof that I was Wylla. Still, just thinking about her... I should have taught her my spells using the Memory Rosebud Bulbs before she left.”

[ Don't worry Wylla. I'm sure she'll find her own path; One of blood, beasts, and Eldrytch. Of Flames, Plants, and Scorched Bludlands. ]

Michael's brows furrowed and his mouth twitched a little; You tell me not to worry and then you say this? "Just what kind of place did she jump into to walk on such paths?"

[She transported to one of the five starting areas that your Divine Mother Sylvenori created; One for each of the Unique races she's going to make. As such, it was time for Syl to enter her starting area and leave you to complete yours. Once you do so, the area will become unlocked and the Sylven race will open up as a super rare option for others to choose. But don't worry Wylla, none that follow will be like you since as the first of your kind (and the daughter of the Goddess herself) you received quite a bit upgrades. ;) ]

“Oh, that does make me feel a bit better... about Syl that is. Still, there was so much I wanted to talk with her about...”

[ Like what Wylla? ]

“Well, since she's watched the Livestreams I wanted her to tell me about my sisters and their friends; To see what races they chose, classes they're playing, and what starting areas they ended up in. To know if they've already reached Rank 1 and made their ways out of their starting zones and into the game world. If so, just where did they go to next, have they started our guild yet... No, they couldn't have without me... which means I'm making them wait. And they'll keep on waiting until I get this gender problem fixed.”

[ What gender problem Wylla? Your body is working perfectly, as intended. :) As for your other questions, wouldn't that be spoilers? Worry not, you're so close to finishing your training here; All that's left is to --- sorry, no spoilers --- then off to face the guardian! And with victory in hand, the path to Abrynth will open. ]

What gender problem? She's joking, right? Michael thought. “This gender problem right here!” He silently mouthed while using his hand to gesture at his whole body up and down finishing with a puffy cheek pout.

“I guess your right... about the spoilers and 'other' stuff. I'm really looking forward to seeing the others and the world of Abrynth outside of the starter area. Now, onto the first thing...”