Several hours later

Morning

Long had they left the army of monsters behind, as they walked now along the cliffside, keeping the river in sight albeit off in the distance behind them now.

Finally finding their way down the cliff, they descended the steep hill carefully.

Kaine stayed behind slightly, watching their backs while Nova flew off ahead, scouting out the terrain.

“Alright, we’re on flat ground again…Now what?” Farvo asked, glancing about as the foliage got thicker and thicker, a forest rising ahead which the river also ran into.

“Well, we know the river is that way,” Jedd pointed to their left, “So now we follow the sun to the east, once we think we’re far enough from that hell at the waterfall we move south, back towards the river.”

“Sounds well and all, but that means we’re headed right into that jungle there.” Rey pointed out.

“It’ll be safer to deal with those riders and other large beasts in there than out here in the open plains.” Kaine added, as Nova flew back from the forest’s edge, soaring through the sky before suddenly folding its wings and landing around his neck. “How does it look?” He asked his familiar.

“Nothing has made the edge its territory, yet.” Nova reported, “I cannot say for what might lay deeper within, I’d have to investigate.”

“Go then, we’ll follow.” Jedd told the serpent and Nova turned to stare at her.

“I don’t take orders from you.” Nova said, her eyes focused.

“You will,” Kaine then told her, his tone and eyes cold as the familiar turned seemingly to argue. “Now go.”

“Heh…Certainly.” Nova groaned with a hiss, slithering off his neck and back into the sky.

“You sure we can trust that…thing?...” Lara sheepishly asked, again standing as far away from Kaine as possible while still walking with the group.

“You trusted a grizzly bear, didn’t you?” Kaine argued with a smirk as they continued to move, approaching the forest ahead while still keeping to cover. The army’s encampment was still slightly visible from here, and they could be as well.

As they walked, they chatted, all but Kaine who had other things on his mind.

Jedd [Level 2] Farvo10 [Level 1] Rey Black [Level 3] Roy White [Level 3] Larakrell [Level 1]

The twins are keeping up combat wise, Jedd’s fallen behind…then there’s Farvo and Lara…

[6] Jor Mungandr - [M]Level:4 - [A]Level:2 - [C]Level:0

{ [Life]: 18/18 }

{ [Breath]: 140/140 }

{ [Arcana]: 30/30 }

This is dangerous, they all…We all, need to get stronger.

Kaine thought as he glanced at them all, each seeming jolly and upbeat, but he could see the mild body language of anxiety, nervousness and fear hidden within.

This won’t do.

He thought, sighing also as he glanced at the equipment they all had. Tattered clothes and bone carved weapons, some at the brink of breaking.

This won’t do at all.

Kaine mused, glancing at each of them once more before looking at the forest ahead. His mind raced, ploys and plans being sorted, Kaine lay in the clouds and lost in thought for several minutes.

As they chatted away, his very presence disappearing from the group. Each of his party members seemingly forgetting he was even there.

This was no skill or spell, this was something Kaine could even do on other games when it came to other players. If he could walk, he guessed that he’d experience it outside the game as well.

Kaine had little to no presence to speak of.

He watched them from the back, although afraid…although each of them were terrified, they kept each other upbeat and alert.

They kept each other going through this game of death.

Kaine wondered, is this what he wanted? Is this feeling of comradery what he was missing?

He didn’t know, he didn’t understand the purpose or meaning of what he felt now…He only knew one thing for sure.

This feeling, was something he wished to protect.

I swear…

So he swore, Kaine swore he would.

Nothing will break this.

He told…No Kaine…he gazed off at the approaching forest’s edge. Glancing back at the monster army camp then, seeing the rising smoke of campfires in the morning daylight.

This game…This world, I will tame.

He promised himself.

-

-

Two hours of walking through the forest later.

Time went slow as they traversed the forest, the trees laying far more spread out than they initially guessed. So much so that Rey doubted a giant Hyena would have issues chasing them through…

The heat also slowly got to them, as the searing sun made no favours, even with some tree cover each of them lay drenched in sweat.

Lacking any means to keep water on themselves, the berries Kaine had stored alongside whatever they could find around the bushes which lay about, became their sole source to quench their thirst. Even if slightly.

Kaine watched as Nova descended around a tree branch and onto him, coiling about his neck before coming to rest face to face with him. “There’s a scent ahead.” It reported, “We’re entering something’s territory.”

“I think we’ve walked far enough,” Jedd mused, glancing at an entire tired party behind her. “Let’s start moving towards the river now, before we dehydrate…”

“Yeah, I’m parched.” Roy chuckled awkwardly as his voice cracked. “Rather not get into combat at the moment.”

“True enough, but let’s stay on alert. Just because we haven’t entered its territory yet doesn’t mean whatever it is doesn’t step out.” Jedd warned as she glanced up at the sun then picked their new direction.

“Continue ahead,” Kaine told Nova before whispering something else, “And report any information on this territorial beast you might find.”

Nova nodded in understanding before relaxing her body, uncoiling from around his neck and suddenly leaping into the air. Her wings spread out before rapidly beginning to beat and flap, as she rose higher, getting faster with each passing second. Then disappearing into the forest ahead.

Several more minutes passed by as they walked, each of them worn out and thirsty, but stuffed with berries to the point that they didn’t wish to eat any more. And as minutes turned to another hour of walking…the sound of rumbling resounded around them.

Each of them then turning to look at Roy, whose face turned crimson. “Uhh…I-”

“Just go…” Farvo said as the others chuckled, “Pick a bush and take care of it.”

“Bu-” Roy was about to ask.

But Kaine cut him off right then, “Don’t use the leaves…” he warned.

Roy turned to stare at him, reddening further, “Then what do I use?...”

Kaine shrugged as Farvo suddenly pulled something out of his inventory, “I’ve got some Goldebeest hide? Use the furry side…” The dwarf said, the slab of thinned out hide materialized into his hand as he forwarded it to him.

Roy took the still bloody piece of soft hide into his hands, glanced at it, then Farvo, Kaine and the rest who were on the brink of dying of laughter at this point.

“This isn’t funny…” Roy said, his tone quivering with frustration.

“Oh…Oh I wouldn’t be dyin if it wasn’t!” Rey exclaimed, bending forth while holding onto her gut and mouth.

Roy clenched the hide, as he glared coldly at his sister, “Oh…Oh it won’t be funny for long.” He mused, realising something. Then moving off to the largest bush nearby.

Roy was right…it wasn’t funny for much longer.

…

After each of their stomachs had their lapse in silence, and several desecrated bushes later, the party continued on.

Farvo’s inventory now several pieces of hide lighter.

Silently they walked, no conversation amongst them as awkwardness filled the party.

And it dragged on for several more minutes until Rey broke the ice, she was good at that. “Gods this game is fucked up in so many ways…”

“Is being stuck in it without the option to log out one of those?” Jedd mused with a groan.

And back to chatting they went, Kaine watching in amazement as the party simply moved on from that strange and awkward issue neither of them even realised they’d have.

And have again in the future…

As they walked, Kaine studied the terrain around them. The forest, he noticed, was getting thicker the closer to the river they got. Trees began growing closer to one another, the grass and foliage now thicker even than the scattered bushes they had before.

Slowly but surely, the terrain changed into a jungle.

Their sweaty bodies now attracting dozens of bugs to mass around them, as albeit being damper and wet the jungle heat still enveloped them.

Swatting away at the critters, when suddenly…

“Sp-Spi-” Rey screamed at the top of her lungs as she suddenly swatted at something big and brown, “Ow!” yelping in pain before stumbling over and falling into the grass.

“Rey?” Her twin Roy turned to her first, then turned the rest to see her fallen form. They watched briefly, but then seeing that she wasn’t standing back up each of them rushed to her side.

Rey lay groaning in pain while clenching her right hand, her face reddened with agony. “S-Spider…” Rey muttered as they turned her over.

“Shit she got bit by something.” Farvo said as he grabbed her hand, revealing two tiny bite marks over her wrist.

“Uhh, anybody got anti-poison or something?” Nova asked as the serpent familiar had immediately returned at the sound of their distress. “No? Well this is bad.”

“F-Fuc-uuuck!” Rey groaned, trying to roll back over as she held her hand close, each of them watching as the skin over it slowly turned red, then purple whilst it expanded.

“What do we do?!” Lara exclaimed, glancing at each of them, but all stared emptily at her unsure what to do.

All but Roy who rushed down to his sister, taking some long and sturdy plant stems out of his inventory and nearby flora, he began tying it around the top of Rey’s wrist. “We need to slow down circulation!” he said in a mild panic, but fully focused on his task. “The more we slow down the spread the easier her system will fight it off, normally spider bites aren’t deadly but some can lead to death if left alone. But also we cannot cut circulation entirely…” He mumbled to himself as he worked, finishing off a well-made and tightly wrapped band around his twin’s wrist.

Staring at her hand briefly as she still lay in agony, Roy then suddenly turned to the others. “We need to get to the river quickly so I can clean and cool the wound,” he said before cutting his shirt’s sleeve off and wrapping it around the bite. “This will prevent infection for a bit but…”

“Right, right! Let’s go!” Jedd exclaimed as she suddenly grew into her bear form. “I’ll carry her and Roy, you three keep up!” She said as everyone helped heave Rey up onto the black bear’s back.

“D-Don’t move her too much! It’ll quicken circulation! Rey…Rey!” Roy shouted as he climbed up nearby his sister, fear clear in his eyes as he stared down at her, “Stay as calm as possible, try and slow your heart beat you hear me?”

Rey chuckled weakly through the pain, “You-r’e tel-tell-ing m-me to sta-y-stay calm?...”

Was the last thing Kaine, Farvo and Lara heard from her as Jedd immediately began rushing towards the river’s direction.

“Fuck, come on!” Farvo said, urging both of them forward.

The three of them ran after the large bear but chasing after it proved difficult due to Jedd’s sheer sprint speed in that form, alongside the unfamiliar terrain around them. From thick grass and bushes, outgrowing roots and dangling vines, they quickly fell behind.

The sound of the river was finally present, filling them with some relief, but it went unnoticed as a hiss from over Kaine’s shoulder caught their attention.

“Master, we’re being hunted…” Nova whispered as she carefully glanced about, her crimson eyes focusing on several large silhouettes about them.

Now?!

Kaine thought in annoyance, this was exactly what he was worried about. Slowing down his movement, he let the slow dwarf and human behind him catch up.

“Keep moving, don’t look back cause we’re being chased.” Kaine told Farvo and Lara as calmly as possible, each of them looking at him horrified at those words.

“W-What by?” Lara asked, almost tripping over a root as she did.

“Large, Canine, nothing like the beasties from earlier though.” Nova said, her ever aware eyes focused behind them.

Kaine clenched the copper sword which lay strapped to his side, “It’s too bright, I can’t sense them. I can hear them behind us though, and there’s a lot. Nova?”

“I shall scour their numbers, they seem intent on following though so don’t stop moving.” Nova said before suddenly disappearing into a nearby bush.

“You heard it, don’t stop.” Kaine told the now pale Lara and Farvo as they followed closely behind him.

Now depending on whether these things are strong or not…

Kaine mused as the sound of the rushing river came closer by the second, until finally they broke out of the thick foliage to find Jedd in her beastial form standing over Rey while Roy cleaned her wound carefully in the rushing water.

Kaine immediately studied the terrain, noticing there was little ground to speak of as the jungle continued on into the river itself, growing even when the roots lay completely submerged. Rey herself was set down over a large thick tree root with her hands and feet laying in the water. Each of them stood on water now, their feet drenched by the cold river.

Refreshing, but Kaine knew it was also dangerous.

“Jedd we’re being hunted.” Kaine said as he glanced about.

“I know, I smell them. It’s weird, don’t ask…” She said, huffing in her bear form.

“S-sorry guys…” Rey managed through the yelps of pain and squirming agony while her brother carefully used her own cloth bandages to clean the two bite marks.

Kaine turned to stand with the rest, facing the all too close jungle edge before them. Copper sword in his right hand, with his left laying free. He glanced at the rest, Jedd’s equipment seemed to shapeshift with her, while Farvo and Lara were still wielding the bone longsword and bone axe he had given them respectively.

“They’re coming!” Nova exclaimed as she burst out of the brush, coming to flutter and hover before them.

As out of the foliage, six growling forms stalked out.

Surrounding them.

Starving Worg [Level 3]

Half the size of Jedd and smaller than the Hyenas, the Worgs though seemed much more agile and dangerous. With hunched back wolf-like bodies, long claws that resembled talons, bat-like snouts and two curved sabretooth fangs. The six of them growled low as they salivated, hungry for a bite.

And bite they did, emptily at the air before them, menacingly to show which of them was the predator.

Smaller than Jedd they might have been, but each Worg easily stood the same height if not more than even Kaine as he met their eyes. His own cold gaze, seeming to make two of them falter.

They recognised him as individually stronger.

“Roy, Jedd, watch over Rey. Farvo, Lara, we’re taking them down so listen closely.” Kaine said, gaining a confused glance from each of them.

“B-But we’re both still level 1!” Farvo complained.

“Exactly, and we won’t get a better opportunity than this to change that.” Kaine said, suddenly taking a step forwards.

As he did, each Worg stepped back.

Each of them then realising, they weren’t the predators here.

“Clean up behind me.” Kaine said, unstrapping his spear too as three of the Worgs rushed to charge around him and at the rest.

Kaine met two of their glances, “The sight of me chills you to the bone.” He chanted, and an unnatural fear filled both beasts as they immediately turned away and rushed back into the jungle yelping in terror.

He turned, stepping to the side and meeting the third’s charge, maddened by hunger the Worg did not stop.

Instead, it pounced, maw ajar and revealing its rows of jagged fangs as it descended upon him.

Kaine rushed underneath its leap, rolling over before quickly standing back up and slashing at the beast’s hind legs. Blood splattered as it yelped, it’s back body falling over its now useless feet.

Quickly he turned to the other three as they engage the rest, Jedd mostly holding at bay while Lara and Farvo watched awkwardly. Unsure, unused to basic combat.

They’d be dead by now…

Kaine sighed, “Kill this one you two!” He told them gesturing at the debilitated Worg as he moved onto the rest. Careful in his step as the deeper into the river he moved the smoother the ground became.

Meeting a Worg’s claw swipe with his sword, parrying the attack before unstrapping his spear with his free hand. Seeing the weapon, the smart creature immediately backed away, but Kaine was quicker.

As he rushed forth onto the retreating beast, plunging the spear’s point into its side, ruining its right front leg. In turn the creature snarled in pain, clawing at him as it did.

Kaine parried the claw once more, causing the creature to try and retreat again.

He was relentless in his advance though, pushing on the beast again the moment it did and stabbing his sword into its large left eye, continuing to then slash it across and blind the beast completely.

Retreating from it, Kaine turned to scour the battle, just now noticing as one of the Worgs pounced on him.

Too fast and too large the creature was, and too late it was for him to evade as the monster’s massive frame fell upon him. The Worg’s weight pushed Kaine down, slamming him into the shallow waters. Kaine squirmed and groaned in pain, as the beast’s claws dug into his flesh and the weight crushed his arms.

The Worg though, choked as it stood over him.

Opening his eyes Kaine met the beast’s wide panicked glances, as Nova lay around the Worg’s neck slowly crushing its throat whilst her blazing body burned away at its fur and skin.

Still though the beast remained looming over him, holding both of his hands down. At the same time disabling Kaine from using his weapons, as the creature’s weight was too much for his own strength.

And struggle as he might, Kaine couldn’t push the Worg off, as it bit down towards his face even as Nova choked it to death.

Kaine watching as those jagged teeth and long sabretooth fangs loomed ever closer, greenish saliva dripping onto his face as the beast’s maw lay only a few feet from his face. Snapping at him, but confused and held back from Nova’s efforts.

Efforts which bore fruit moments later as the creature stumbled off Kaine, falling to its side unconscious.

Kaine rose up, drenched but filled with adrenaline as he glanced around. One Worg remained, and Jedd had it held down, crushing the whining beast beneath her bear form’s sheer weight and strength.

The two he had debilitated were being dealt with by Farvo and Lara separately, while Nova was currently coiled up upon the unconscious one, hissing victoriously. The two he feared though hadn’t returned at all, and from his experience with the Gnolls he doubted they would.

As he looked at the still living Worgs, a thought came to him.

They attacked us when one of us was injured.

He realised, pondering even if they had been following them the entire time through the forest.

Nova is a snake not an eagle…Her sight is good, but nothing to praise.

Kaine looked on at the jungle’s edge where the two Worgs had escaped to, pondering as the whines of dying beasts surrounded him.

[Jedd] has brutally killed { Starving Worg [Level 3] } Your party has killed { Starving Worg [Level 3] } You can no longer gain Martial experience from fighting such lower level creatures. Your party has killed { Starving Worg [Level 3] } You can no longer gain Martial experience from fighting such lower level creatures.

They’re quick, strong bodied and fairly smart. Nothing I can’t deal with one on one but even though I can’t get any experience from them since they’re lower level with several on me it gets complicated still…They run in packs, about six from this encounter…Yeah, they’ll do just fine.

“Roy, how’s your sister?” Kaine asked, turning to the twins.

“Bitchin.” Rey exclaimed in agonized amusement, pain still clear on her expression although she was smiling.

“The pain’s gotten to her head but other than that, she’ll remember not to swat randomly at creepy crawlies from now on.” Roy mused with relief in his tone, indeed the swelling in her hand had stopped albeit still being there.

“Good…” Jedd mused, retreating from the mauled to death corpse before her with several cuts and bites across her bear form.

“Come on, wash those cuts off too.” Roy said, gesturing at Jedd, Farvo and Kaine who each got injured in the fight. “We don’t know how infections work in this game, or if you even can get an infection but it’s better we stay safe than sorry.”

“Right…” Kaine agreed, “Nova watch that thing.” He told his familiar, gesturing at the unconscious Worg. “Jedd you might wanna try taming this one.”

“Yeah, I’ll knock the little shit around when it wakes up, see what comes out of it.” She said with a bearly shrug as her massive furry form descended into the water, splashing it everywhere.

“Knock…How did you tame Slayn?...” Kaine asked, staring at her in confusion.

“Err, showed him who’s top dog with a beating?” Jedd lazily answered.

Kaine’s confusion turned to understanding, then astonishment.

Beast tamers…

He mused with a sigh, when the sight of her wrestling down a bear came into his mind.

Damnit brain…that’s actually kinda hot.