The Omen, page 11
part #5 of Eden's Gate Series
I reflexively jerked away and stumbled back at the surprise.
It looked like Keysia tried to scream as she grabbed at the wet thing wrapped around her throat, but she only managed a panicked groan as the vine pulled her across the hall, slamming her against the wall nearest me.
I glanced up to the ceiling as another vine darted down towards me, and I could see it attached to some sort of living growth or vegetation sprawled across the ceiling. It had four long, slimy tentacle-like vines, and in the center was a large, pulsating bulge. At the base of the bulge was a mouth or hole of some sort, but there were no other distinguishing features.
I ducked as its appendage tried to grab my neck and held my hand up to shoot a Fireblast, but the vine just changed its target and wrapped itself around my arm. Its grip was incredibly tight, and it lifted me off my feet instantly, cancelling my spell-casting effort.
“Keysia!” I yelled as the creature swung me across the room and into the opposite wall.
I managed to block some of impact of the wall by using my one free arm and feet to cushion myself the best I could. When the creature pulled me back the other direction, I reached my free hand out and shot a Fireblast towards the massive bulge on the ceiling but I missed, and the blast hit the edge of its base instead.
I felt the vine tighten around my arm when the Fireblast struck the creature’s edge, and the tentacle holding Keysia let go. Keysia fell to the ground with a lifeless thud. Her usually colorless face had darkened to a near purple, and she wasn’t moving at all.
“Keysia!” I shouted again.
I glanced up to our status bars, and Keysia was showing the smallest sliver of health. I knew that if the creature on the ceiling inflicted even the slightest bit more damage to her, she’d be as good as dead.
Fuck, I cursed, my desperation to protect Keysia overwhelming me.
I reached for my sword, whipped it out of its sheath, and swung it at the tentacle that was clamped around my arm. The blade severed the appendage, and the ceiling-mounted creature let out a gurgling shriek.
I landed safely on the ground, and looked up to see the creature’s undamaged vines or tentacles, or whatever they were swinging around wildly. Its one severed vine was dangling and dripping a runny green fluid on the ground.
Name: mutated amoeboid
Race: monster
Level: 25
Health/Mana/Stamina: 250/100/200
Status: unknown
I reached my hand up and shot a Fireblast at the bulge, which caused a burping noise. Its tentacles retracted high up to the ceiling. But no sooner than the tentacles retracted, all three of the unscathed limbs came rushing back towards me.
My eyes widened at the three incoming arms, and I dodged to the side, causing the tentacles to slam into the wall behind me. I attempted to swing my sword back at the monster, but it was as if the creature had become more alert, and all three of the tentacles managed to jolt out of the way right before I hit them.
The vines lifted up to the ceiling then dashed back down to me from multiple directions.
I focused a Clumsy spell on the monster, jumped, and rolled out of the way, but felt the blade of my sword cut deep into my own arm as I mispositioned my sword during the maneuver.
You have reached level 2 in Mentalism!
You are bleeding and require medical attention. Bleeding is a damage-over-time effect.
I winced as I pulled myself up and turned around. You’ve got to be kidding me… I thought. I might as well have cast the Clumsy spell on myself.
The self-inflicted wound hurt, but right as I stood straight, the vines were once again retracting and positioning themselves to make another simultaneous attack. I ignored the pain and grabbed my sword hilt with both hands. I was closing in on only a quarter of my health and almost out of mana, so I needed to figure something out fast.
As soon as the vines darted towards me again, I swung my sword in their direction and focused my last bit of mana on an Arcane Slash. A thick wave of arcane energy leapt out of my sword and rushed towards the incoming vines, violently severing them all at once and tearing bits of stone from the wall behind them.
You have reached level 13 in Arcane Magic!
The injured vines swiftly retracted as the monster on the ceiling let out strange, gurgling shriek. Each appendage went slack and dangled loosely with green liquid dripping from their tips.
I looked up to the creature, and its bulge was still pulsating. It was shaking from side to side as well, but without its strange vines functioning, it seemed as if it had no further methods of attack.
I sheathed my sword, and rushed over to Keysia, anxious to make sure she was okay.
I kneeled beside her, lifted her head up and let it rest on my knee. Her eyes were closed, but she was still breathing. “Keysia…” I whispered. I reached inside my bag to retrieve a health potion, popped the cork, and started pouring it down her throat.
Her eyelids twitched, and a second later, they parted. She looked up to me with somber eyes.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
Keysia stared at me as I continued pouring the potion down her throat, but she didn’t acknowledge my question. She just kept staring. As I held her there in my arms and on my knee, she looked more like a small child than the strong, spirited, dark elf woman that I had grown to know.
When the potion was finished, I sat the bottle down and asked again. “Are you okay? Talk to me.”
Keysia nodded lightly and pushed herself up. “Thank you, Gunnar.”
I smiled and repeated my phrase from earlier. “I told you.”
“Told me what?”
I grinned. “Told you to trust me.”
Keysia smiled, turned her head, and flinched when she saw the loose, dripping vines dangling from the ceiling.
“It’s okay,” I said and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “It doesn’t seem able to attack with its arms cut off like that.”
Keysia blinked, exhaled, and turned back to me. She stared at my face a moment, then her eyes trailed up and down my neck before settling back on direct eye contact.
“What is it?” I asked.
Keysia shook her head and bit her bottom lip, before saying. “I trust you, Gunnar.”
I let out a light sigh and smiled. “Thanks.” I placed my hand on my knee and started to push myself up until Keysia grabbed my wrist. I paused and scrunched my eyebrows, but before I could say anything more, she was pulling herself up while simultaneously pulling me down.
I saw it coming. It may have only taken a second, but it felt like slow motion as Keysia’s face moved towards mine. In the short time that I had to realize what was happening, I forgot about the monster dangling above us or the fact that I had a quest to complete, or that Jeremy and Sung were missing somewhere in the temple. All I saw was Keysia, and I couldn’t believe what was happening—nor was I willing to interrupt it.
My eyelids dropped the moment our lips touched, and my heart thumped. Keysia’s lips were soft as pillows, but neither of us took the kiss further than its initial touch. Instead, we froze there for a moment, allowing our lips to press against each other and simply enjoy each other’s presence.
My loins tightened, and I took a deep breath, inhaling the dark elf’s scent. It was exactly the way it was the night when she snuck into my bed that night in Edgewood and exactly how I remembered it in my dreams.
If there was ever any uncertainty in my mind that Keysia had feelings for me, that moment washed those doubts away. Keysia liked me, and the strange, hot energy I felt coursing through me assured me, once again, that I liked Keysia too—perhaps more than I had ever acknowledged. My feelings weren’t just lust, but something that had grown over time as I got to know just how awesome she was.
The kiss was quiet, calm, and it was crazy that the simple act of having our lips touching together turned me on with no need for further contact.
And it was mind-blowing that she was an NPC.
After several seconds, we both pulled away. Keysia licked her bottom lip, swallowed, and we both stared at each other.
Damn, she looked beautiful.
The monster above us made another burbling noise, and Keysia glanced up then back down at me. “We should probably kill that thing,” she said.
I smiled, a euphoric feeling taking over me. Spending time with Keysia made me feel like one of the luckiest guys in Eden’s Gate. I cleared my throat, nodded, and stood to my feet. “I’ve got this…”
I reached for my bow and grabbed an arrow. With my mana depleted and the monster stationary, archery seemed like the easiest way to finish the creature off. I nocked the arrow and took careful aim for the pulsing bulge.
I let the shot fly.
The arrow made a half squish, half thunking noise when it landed into the center of the bulge, and the monster’s severed tentacles started flailing around as it let out another strange belch. The pulsing bulge swelled around the arrow that was lodged into its center, like a balloon filling with water, and as I reached behind my back to grab another arrow, the swollen creature burst, releasing noxious spores all throughout the air.
You have gained 1900 XP!
“Shit!” I cursed and took a quick gulp of air before the noxious spores fell down to us. I hastily fastened my bow as I held my mouth closed, grabbed Keysia’s hand, and we both started running deeper into the temple.
Chapter Twelve
2/4/0001
A hundred or so meters past the strange monster was yet another sharp left turn. As soon as we rounded the corner, both Keysia and I stopped and started breathing normally again. My Divine Sight wore off, and I raised my hand to cast another round on us both.
“You okay?” I asked as I took deep heaves of air.
Keysia nodded. “For now.”
I was thankful that there were seemingly no additional surprises hanging from the ceiling or monsters rushing towards us immediately, so we’d have a chance to regroup and think about our next move.
I smiled at Keysia, still enamored by our kiss. I contemplated the idea of stepping up and grabbing her by the hand—pulling her in for another, perhaps. She had kissed me first, after all, and I didn’t want to look like the kind of guy who was afraid to take charge.
Still, I hesitated at the idea. I wanted to think that I was a rational guy, so with a moment to ruminate, my “rational” side pulled at me and started asking the kind of questions that I hadn’t thought of in the heat of the moment.
Is it a good idea to hook up with a guildmate?
What about Adeelee?
Is this what you really want?
What if things don’t work out?
She is a dark elf, after all… and an NPC!
And… what about Rachel?
Meanwhile, Keysia smiled at me and licked her bottom lip again, causing my YOLO [You Only Live Once] side to counter every reasonable thought that popped in my head.
So, what if she’s a guild mate? That’s even better, right?
Adeelee isn’t exactly my girlfriend or anything…
I really like Keysia, right? What’s not to like?
There will always be what-ifs!
Damnit, I don’t care if she’s a dark elf. Just look at her!
And Rachel probably isn’t even in Eden’s Gate.
Keysia glanced to the side, and her smile suddenly faded away. She turned her body to face something that caught her eye. “Whoa… what is all this?”
“Huh?” I rattled my head out of its romanced daze and turned to where Keysia was looking. Less than twenty meters in front of us was the entrance to a large room. From where we were standing, I could see the base of several large statues. There were tall stone boots and swords, but I couldn’t make out much above the statues’ waists from our location.
“Should we go check it out?” Keysia asked.
“Yeah, of course,” I said with a nod, “but let’s take some time to rest and meditate. We don’t know what’s in there, so let’s use the peace we have now while it lasts.” I reached in my bag and pulled out two food rations, tossing one to Keysia.
We both sat down on the stone floor—Keysia directly across from me—and started to meditate.
When I had finished meditating, Keysia was no longer across from me; She had moved to sit directly by my side and was already munching on her food ration. I grinned at her and unwrapped my ration as well.
“You know, I loathe these food rations…” Keysia moaned. “Tasteless things.”
“Yeah, me too. But they’re better than nothing.”
Keysia took a big bite of her ration and spoke as she chewed. “I should learn to cook. I never really cared much about training non-combat skills, but having a chef could be beneficial to the guild.”
“Elven pie?” I asked.
Keysia moaned. “Oh gosh. What I’d give to have an elven pie right now.”
My stomach growled at the thought.
Keysia glanced at me and smirked. “But that’s not what I meant exactly. Chefs can cook food that’s just for taste and satiation… like these food rations or elven pie. But they can also cook special food that provides extra buffs and enhancements as well.”
I creased my eyebrows. “Buffs?”
Keysia nodded. “With the right skill, ingredients, and recipes, cooks can cook some highly useful meals.”
You are well-fed! Stamina and Vitality increased by 15% while this effect is active.
“I can’t believe I’m just now hearing about this,” I said as I swallowed a giant chunk of my bland food.
Keysia chuckled. “Well, cooking isn’t a particularly popular craft, from what I understand. Most foods—unlike potions—spoil rather quickly. There’s always several chefs selling food for taste in towns, but most adventurers would choose alchemy over cooking, simply for the potions’ shelf-life.”
I nodded. “That makes sense.”
“But… it might be something that I can do on the side to help the guild. We’ve got an alchemist already.” Keysia took a bite of her food ration, leaned over, and bumped her shoulder against mine. “And I’d kind of like to make you something.”
“Make me something?” I swallowed the food in my mouth and tucked my chin back.
“Yeah. It’d be nice to cook for you.” A hint of pink seemed to swell in Keysia’s normally colorless face.
My jaw tensed, and I could hardly hold in my grin. “So, you thought it was nice beating me with your staff in Nestle Rock, but now you want to cook for me?”
Keysia’s smile turned devilishly wide, and she shoved me lightly. “You told me to do that! It was for—”
“I know. I know. I’m just joking with you.” I sucked air between my teeth and craned my neck so that I could get a good look at her. “But it’s hard for me to picture you—badass dark elf, who kicks butts and takes names—uhh… being a cook.”
Keysia’s brow furrowed, and she sighed. “I don’t look like I can be a cook?”
I shook my head and raised my hand to her. “No, no, no… I just said it’s hard to picture you as one. It’s a surprising thought is all.” I shrugged. “I’m sure you’d be a fine cook, and I’d love to try whatever you can cook up!”
Keysia’s eyes lit up, and she sighed again—this time a quick, happy sigh. “That’s something I love about you, Gunnar.”
I tilted my head a bit. “What’s that?”
“You don’t just see me as some ‘badass’ dark elf. You see through my exterior and realize there’s still a girl…errm… woman… inside.”
I gulped, and Keysia’s sudden compliment caused the realization that I was talking to an NPC to swell to the forefront of my thoughts. How was she able to process such deep, human thoughts? There were rare occasions when NPCs in Eden’s Gate came across as slightly more robotic than humans, but sometimes Dr. Winston’s artificial intelligence stunned me with its depth, emotions and overall realism. Occasionally, NPCs seemed even more real than Reborns.
Keysia swallowed and suddenly blurted, “I could’ve helped you carry that shield back to Edgewood if you had let me.”
“The shield from the giant kobold?”
Keysia snarled. “What other shield would I be talking about?”
“Yeah… well…”
“Well, it was a sweet gesture, Gunnar. If I’m not mistaken, I showed up and saved you from getting clobbered, and then you—“
“You didn’t really save me,” I interrupted. “We would’ve killed that big thing anyway.”
“Sure, you would’ve.” Keysia cleared her throat and threw me the stink eye. “Anyway, after I arrived and slayed the giant kobold that was about to clobber you and the others, you still didn’t want me to carry—”
“You’re still a lady,” I interrupted again. “You can probably kick my ass, but I still see you as a lady.” I rubbed my chin as I thought of how to explain the odd concept. “Things are kind of weird here in Eden’s Gate. Women here are truly equal to men—just as capable and often stronger by default. Unlike back on Earth, here I wouldn’t hesitate to fight a woman, simply because she’s a woman. Since there’s no real physical advantage that men have like they have back home, there’s no real gender gap.” I shrugged again. “I mean… I think I wouldn’t hesitate to fight a girl in here. I dunno. It depends on the circumstance. It depends on…” I shook my head and groaned.
Keysia chuckled. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s hard to explain...” I paused and turned to her. “Sometimes it’s just nice to treat a lady like she’s a lady, regardless of the fact that she’s a few levels higher than me and could turn me into an electric pole.”
“And sometimes it’s nice to be treated like a lady.” Keysia shrugged. “And it might be fun to treat a man like a man sometime too… give him a shoulder rub after a long day of adventuring.”
“A shoulder rub?” I raised my eyebrows to that.
“Cook him a nice meal,” Keysia added. She reached up and scratched the back of her head. “I mean, I’m not trying to fit into any sort of role, but I think I know the kind of pampering that men enjoy.”
