Arrival: A LitRPG Series, page 12
Leo stood, emotions in turmoil as Amira brushed away the existence of so many of her children she had forced to die. Monster or not, this wasn’t something he could sit still over.
“Why would you do this!” he shouted, gesturing to the crater before him, more than aware that the powerful predator could end his life with a thought. Amira turned her massive head toward him, her large eyes gazing into his own. The young Thunder Rocs and Chari poked their heads up and looked toward him, startled by his shout. The sight of their pitiful injured forms just served to fan his rage.
He turned to the adult Chari, who had lain back down, resting its head on its paws at the top of the stairs. “How could you both so callously kill off your young! Did you get a kick out of it, was it all just for your own twisted amusement?!”
He stared at the adult Chari, who refused to turn its head to meet his furious gaze. He was so caught up in his anger that he almost didn’t notice Sparky approaching him. The poor bird was hobbling over to him, her left leg obviously sprained or broken. The wound in her chest from the beginning of the battle still seeped yellow blood.
In her beak she held Aveth; Leo had forgotten all about the sword during the commotion of the battle. He was grateful that she had recovered the blade for him, or else it would have been blown away in the blast.
The gratefulness intensified his fury over the hatchling’s condition—even if he was loath to admit it, he was fond of the bird. She was the first creature he had met in this world, and he was the same to her. Sure, she might’ve almost killed him when they first met, but it had been accidental, even if he was still bitter about it. Zapping one another was just the way her kind amused themselves and learning Arc Bolt was the reason he was alive right now. Then she had hauled him up from the canyon, ensuring he wasn’t trampled to death by the horde behind her. And now she was returning a weapon that Zeld probably would have flayed him alive for losing.
“Sparky, I…” Leo trailed off as the bird stopped in front of him and let the sword fall from her beak. The blade clattered against the ground. He bent down to pick it up but a sharp pain sprouted from the top of his head, making him cry out in surprise and grab the injured spot out of reflex.
He looked back up just in time to see Sparky’s beak jot down several more times. “Ow!” Leo yelled, waving a hand at the bird to shoo her off the crown of his head. Maybe he had misjudged their relationship and he was actually dinner for this dumb animal.
She stepped back with a squawk, flapping her wings and buffeting Leo with wind as she did so. “What’s your problem!” he demanded, his anger fizzling into confusion at the odd turn of events. It was only then he noticed how much taller Sparky had gotten; before, the bird was just over his height, but now she stood beak and shoulders over him. He scanned her again.
Name: Sparky
Race: Thunder Roc
Racial Ranking: Hatchling (Pack Leader)
Monster Class: Threat
Level: 7
Mood: Playful
Disposition: Friendly (93% achieved for next rank)
Gender: Female
Description: Thunder Rocs are feared and praised for their ability to cause widespread lightning storms. They are highly territorial.
She had gained three levels during that battle! Amira’s large head came into view as she leaned down and looked intently into Leo’s eyes. At first, Leo thought he might have made her angry, but then a new sensation caught his attention.
It was like a high-pitched frequency that rang inside his head. He tried to ignore it and the noise quieted to an almost imperceptible level, but it refused to fully vanish. Confused, he looked around to see where the noise was coming from, but he seemed to be the only one that had noticed it, as all the other creatures were looking at him or resting on the ground.
Amira gave him a slight nudge with her beak and the ringing in his head increased. Leo looked at her a moment, then tried a different tactic. Instead of ignoring the noise he focused on it, willing the sound to get louder and clearer. Immediately the sound grew in volume and intensity, becoming almost painful before something clicked in his mind and he heard a voice coming into focus like the tuning of an old radio.
llo…please verify that you can hear me before I run out of patience and fry you.
“Wahhh!” Leo cried out in surprise. He went to back away but ended up tripping over his feet and falling on his rear.
Congratulations! You have learned the skill Beast Communication! Rarity: Rare, Skill Level: Novice Level 1. Hey before you kill me, how about we have a little chat? Capability to mentally communicate with sentient beasts up to 25 feet away.
Although it was great that he had learned a new skill, the thought that creatures were capable of speaking directly to his mind was unsettling, to say the least.
Base upon your overreaction, I’m assuming you can hear me. Amira adjusted her head so that her imposing beak wasn’t mere inches from his face, her voice calm and collective. Ignore the part about me frying you. Zeldorth would be furious with me after all. I understand to someone of your limited intelligence and experience, this conversation might perturb you a bit, but please try to refrain from making a further fool of yourself. I’m not in the mood to explain myself twice. Her voice sounded tired and distinctly feminine.
Uhhh…I’m talking to a giant bird with my mind, Leo thought lamely, a little distracted by the proximity of the beak and the whole situation.
Leo felt what could only be described as a mental sigh coming from Amira before she pulled back her head with a puff of feathers. Is there anything else completely obvious you wish to get out of the way? Please don’t reply, that was rhetorical. As you can see, we are being waited on for the continuation of the ceremony, so do try to stop gawking and refrain from making a fool out of yourself any further.
His face grew warm as he realized every creature in the vicinity had just seen his entire reaction. He got back to his feet, trying to preserve what little dignity he had left in front of the collection of monsters. Can you at least explain what’s going on? Why would you pit your newborns against each other like that! He felt a bit of his old anger return as he mentioned the battle.
Calm yourself, your emotions are…understandable but not warranted. I shall inform you of the details later. Currently your worth is still being judged by the Elder Chari. I advise you to remain standing. Amira turned to face the large Chari, who was slowly descending the steps he had been perched upon a moment ago.
As soon as the feline’s paw stepped off the last step and onto the damaged pathway, it sank a small crater in the ground around it. As the Chari drew close, Leo’s body began to grow heavier, as the same force the creature had emitted on him earlier started to reaffirm itself. His knees shook violently, threatening to fail and collapse once again, but somehow, he remained on his feet. The creature stopped half a foot from him, its deep red eyes staring into his own, seeming to look at and beyond him at the same time.
It would be wise of you to show some respect for disrupting the ceremony, Amira hinted coolly.
Following her guidance, Leo gave a bow to the elegant creature before him, straining hard to keep from toppling over. “I…apologize…for…interrupting,” he stammered, trying to force his heavy tongue to form the words clearly.
The Chari gazed down on him as he held his bow. He wasn’t sure when it would be appropriate to straighten himself. Just when he was about to teeter over, the Chari gave a slight tilt of its head upwards.
Right yourself, commanded Amira, her voice laced with what he thought was surprise. He did as she advised, trusting she had a much better grasp of the situation than he did. A moment after Leo straightened, the Elder Chari flicked its two tails and continued down the line, where the small group of surviving Chari stood waiting. After a few moments, one of the survivors broke away from the rest of the group and padded over.
Leo recognized it as the pack leader that Sparky had fought. The feline had already started to heal its limp. A few unspoken words were shared, and the newborn retreated back in line while the rest of its brethren stepped forward. They followed the Elder Chari back toward the steps, leaving their pack leader behind with the dwindling gravitational pressure.
What happened? Leo mentally questioned.
You were found worthy, Amira replied in both mild annoyance and surprise.
14
Amira let her two enormous wings drape back to her sides while the Elder Chari and four of the surviving newborns disappeared beyond the stairs, leaving the Chari pack leader alone to gaze after their retreated forms.
That was rather unpleasant to preside over, Amira stated as she nipped the wing of an overly enthused chick that had started wandering after the Chari. I’ll spare you the long explanation as I’m not quite in the mood for chatting. This ceremony occurs every cycle with the hatching of our young, and it serves to weed out the weaker of our kin while strengthening those strong enough to survive. The island and its domain have finite resources, and the weak would only drain those resources before providing them to enemies of our nest as a plump meal. As we and the Chari are on friendly terms, it is in our best interest to give both our future generations their greatest chance at survival.
Leo thought about her words for a moment. The situation still felt rather barbaric, but he couldn’t exactly hold his morals from Earth against the inhabitants of Asylum. As far as he could remember, over there the most he had to worry about was an entitled customer and paying rent. Daily survival wasn’t an everyday struggle. He decided to move on to his next question, sensing Amira’s impatience to be away from the ceremonial grounds. What about what happened with the Elder Chari? What did you mean by me being found ‘worthy’?
The massive bird turned an eye toward him and cocked her head in confusion. Zeld didn’t inform you? No, of course he didn’t. Typical of him to just throw you outside in the middle of all this. This ceremony is made of two parts, the skirmish and the duel. The overall winner of those two categories, which was us on both fronts, by the way, is granted hunting rights to the Valley of Erreth during the new cycle.
In recompense, the winner must also give up the strongest member of their hatch to the representative of Erreth whose nation allows us access to their lands. The losing tribe also has the option to support the nation if they find the representative worthy enough. Amira’s emotions were all over the place in what he assumed must be typical Thunder Roc behavior. One moment she was exasperated over Zeld, the next she was feeling smug over her tribe’s win, and both were still tied together with a hint of sadness from the recent loss of her young.
But I’m not a representative of Erreth… The automatic reply slipped out accidentally, and he was suddenly afraid of what the consequences might be for spoiling the ceremony. Hadn’t Zeld also mentioned Erreth “used to be a nation?” Why would they still pay tribute to a fallen civilization?
Of course you are. Zeld took you under his wing and vouched for you.
Leo was going to need to have a long talk with that old man when he got back. He was beginning to suspect that Zeld had saved him with more than just kindness at heart.
Now per the ancient accords, as the winner we gift you Sparky to better assist in the development of Erreth…My, what a terrible name, did you really have to call her that? It’s like calling a fire dragon Flamey. She bristled her neck feathers at his lack of taste. Leo looked over at the bird in question. True to her name, she was busily sharing friendly zaps with other members of her flock.
I don’t know if I feel right about taking-, he started, feeling apprehensive about taking the overgrown chick away from her own kind when Amira interrupted him.
Finally! There they are! she complained in impatience, clearly ignoring his concerns.
Six more shapes descended from the dark storm clouds above. None of them flew down with the grandeur of Amira’s entrance, but just the sheer presence of the beings made the storm around them roil and rumble. They glided over on powerful wings of crackling yellow energy, each of different sizes but all slightly smaller than Amira. Fast as one would expect from a bird of prey, each dived down and wrapped its massive talons around one of the surviving chicks, providing cradles for the confused yet excited newborns in their claws before shooting back the way they came.
Within moments, the only creatures remaining on the mountaintop were Sparky, the Chari pack leader, Amira and another hatchling. Amira studied Sparky for a moment before giving the chick a light zap, then she gathered the remaining hatchling in her claws and launched into the air with several powerful flaps of her mighty wings. Do take care of her. she warned before the connection severed as she flew out of range.
Leo watched her retreating form disappear among the storm front, somehow feeling like he had drawn the short end of the stick in this whole ordeal. He looked over at the two beasts that had been assigned to his care. The Chari had wandered over after Amira left, but had its head tilted away, refusing to even look at Sparky or him. The Thunder Roc in turn was practically hopping up and down on its non-injured talon, clearly excited with its endless pool of energy, but occasionally glaring daggers at the pompous Chari next to it.
Leo took in the lingering hostility between the two, thinking of how much work would be required in taking care of the two literal monsters. Then he turned around and walked away from the situation.
Unfortunately, the monsters followed.
* * *
“Will you two cut it out!” Leo exclaimed at the two beasts. It hadn’t been more than ten minutes since they started back down the canyon pass, but already the creatures were driving him insane.
Of course it had been Sparky who had sparked this whole confrontation. After getting tired of being ignored by the Chari, she had nipped the feline’s tail with her beak. The Chari, acting in much the same manner as any normal housecat would when their tail gets pulled, let out an almost imperceptible squeak, jumped high in the air, then lashed back at its aggressor with a gravity blade while floating.
That led Leo to where he was now, standing in the middle of the two deadly beasts and trying to prevent a rematch of their last battle. Sparky puffed up her neck feathers in displeasure but continued trudging down the slope. The Chari, still refusing to even look at him, let the streams of energy coalescing on its blade dissipate before settling to just above ground level with its head and tails held high.
They followed the ancient river bed unmolested—if the presence of two threat beasts wasn’t enough of a natural deterrent, then Sparky sulking and tossing lightning at everything that caught her eye certainly was. Leo was just glad those strikes weren’t aimed at him this time. Now that they were level seven, he wasn’t sure if he could survive a single hit from either of his forced-together companions.
The early morning sun had fully risen by the time they made it to the forest’s edge, leaving fried monsters and scorched canyon walls behind them. The lush green leaves of the undergrowth sparkled like emeralds with the early morning dew, and Leo had never felt so glad to feel the kiss of the sun’s warmth on his back.
It had been a long night and he felt ready to sleep for a week. He and his motley companions were halfway to the pond when Sparky swiveled her head to the right and let out an urgent chirp before darting off into a wall of nearby bushes.
“Where are you going?!” Leo yelled after the sporadic bird, unsure if he should follow the creature or take the opportunity to ditch the endless ball of energy. “What do you think, should we go after her?” he asked the Chari. It let out a small sniff and if it was possible, looked even more pompous as it promptly ignored his question.
“You’re right. I wouldn’t want to be stuck alone with you either.” Leo complained to the stuck-up feline, which brought him an annoyed twitch of its ear in response. With a sigh he hurried into the brush after Sparky, pushing through the dense leaves and sharp prodding twigs. It wasn’t hard to follow the trail blazed through the thicket by the overgrown bird, and he soon heard the familiar crackle of electricity ahead inside a copse of pines. Howls of pain sounded quickly afterwards, encouraging Leo to increase his pace with a sinking feeling growing in the pit of his stomach.
By the time he slid through the dense circle of trees, he had several shallow lacerations across the exposed parts of his arms and legs from the sharp tips of branches. Hidden inside the grove was a large, grassy clearing that led up to several rundown and ruined buildings that nature had started to reclaim.
Vines and moss climbed up the stone walls still standing, wooden roofs that weren’t collapsed were covered in leaves and branches, and the paved street had been mostly swallowed up by the earth. There were eight of these ruined structures built in two neat rows that formed a pathway leading to the only two-story structure in the abandoned village.
You have entered Fallwreath Ruins.
Four-legged, brown-furred forms were pouring out of the buildings and racing across the clearing; the familiar sight made Leo’s heart quiver. Forest wolves! he thought in panic as he watched the swarm of canines run to the still body of a Thunder Roc.
They approached the body warily, none of the canines wanting to be the first one to greet the creature standing protectively over the corpse. Already the bodies of half a dozen overeager wolves lay smoking in the grass. Sparky stood over the form of her fallen kin, glaring fiercely at the swarm of hostile monsters around her while electricity danced amongst her feathers.
The young wolves’ levels all ranged from two to five, but the sheer number of them made Leo wary. There were over twenty of the common monsters surrounding and baring their fangs at the intruder who dared to set foot here. A massive wolf standing twice as tall as some of its fellows prowled to the forefront of his brethren, eyeing Sparky with its one remaining eye, his presence seeming to heighten the aggressiveness of the rest of the pack.
