Jinxed? (1/2)
* Somewhere in the desert of Elgolar *
A mother held her daughter's hand tightly as the pair scaled a tall sand hill. The rags covering their heads were scorched by the hot sun, their lips dry and their movements slow and dulled by exhaustion. "Mother.. I can't.." whimpered the girl who couldn't have been more than 25 years of age. "We have to keep going Sumiré.. if we stop they'll find us. They'll kill me and keep you as a slave until you can serve them no more.. we have to keep moving!" the mother answered with resolve.
As they reached the peak, the older woman turned around and gazed northward, in the direction they had come from. She could clearly see a rising cloud of dust and sand. The Raiders.. The Raiders were coming for her and her daughter. She pulled a half empty water skin and allowed the girl a small sip before pushing her along. "We can rest when we're safe..".
"But mother where would we even go? The desert stretches for days before one can reach any other kingdom!"
"I know, but we have no choice.."
The two continued their desperate march towards a great plateau in the distance. Maybe there, they could find a place of respite. A place to rest and maybe.. just maybe.. hide from their pursuers.
* * *
The day started quite slow for me. I began by turning my Core Room into something more comfortable and aesthetic. I sculpted the great jagged rock that housed my core into a rectangular shaped monolith. I darkened its color and made its surface smooth, almost reflective. It had an eclipsed shaped orifice, in which I placed my crystalline core. I was tempted to write something on the monolith but nothing good came to mind. Maybe one day I could write my story or accomplishments on its surface, who knows.
After I was done with that, I spent a few Mana points to shape my hot spring into a an actual pool, of smooth clean stone. By also increasing the number of glowing crystals in my Core Room, I made the area brighter and more welcoming. Finally I crafted a bed out of stone but was unsure what to do with it after that. I had no mattress or pillows to use and the idea made me frown. I still had a long way to go before this place became something special. With my remaining Mana I tended to my small ecosystem, replenishing animal numbers and adding my newly acquired flora. I had acquired a small thorny bush that could also grow in caves. It produced beautiful flowers of dark purple. Apparently they could be used to make dyes and the bush's thorny vines added a modicum of protection to my Dungeon.
After a few hours of me being completely absorbed in my work I suddenly heard a whimper from my Dungeon's entrance! It sounded like a dog being kicked and the sound was accompanied by the feeling of intruders entering my domain. I hid behind a corner and, after establishing the psychic connection, peered through the eyes of my Cave Fishers. I saw two humans struggling to pass through my Fishers' sticky silk strands while being pursued by three.. dogs? No.. Oh coyotes! They were coyotes! The canine that got kicked was now tangled in a mess of milky strands of silk. The more it fought the more threads got wrapped around it, until finally one of my Fishers dropped on its back and started slashing into its flesh with its newly sharpened pincers!
The two humans managed to get through the silk strands without getting tangled. They ventured deeper into my domain in order to avoid the agitated predators. My second Cave Fisher, pounced on one of the other coyotes, getting in a few good hits. The third vicious beast came to its kin's rescue however, biting the arachnid off its back and between the two of them, the Cave Fisher was torn asunder by sharp teeth, within a few seconds. My first Cave Fisher managed to kill the tangled coyote by causing extreme haemorrhaging, as its gashes and wounds wouldn't stop bleeding because of the arachnid's venom. I instructed my critter to fall back and it used its hind legs to crawl back up its attached silk cord, hiding away in its burrow in the ceiling.
I received messages of xp gain as well as Aether reabsorption, caused by the loss of one of my monsters, but I couldn't focus. I ran back to my Core Room and sent out the four Amber Jellies to defend it from intruders. I instructed them to focus on the coyotes rather than the humans as I wanted to see if they were friendly or not. Both parties had entered the premises without the "hostile" tag but that may have been due to them being focused on each other. The two humans entered my main cave room finally and I investigated through the eyes of my Slimes. They were men, lightly armored and resembled warriors of old, either of Arabic or Ottoman origins. They looked weary, frightened and clutched their scimitars in sweaty palms, ready to strike at whatever came too close. I held my slimes back just in case, waiting to see how things would unfold.
The coyotes were soon upon them with unnatural fury, putting themselves in danger just to attack the men with reckless abandon. I wondered what could have caused this aggression but had no information to lean on. The two parties seemed evenly matched at first but after successfully biting one of the warriors at the ankle and knocking them prone, the coyotes gained the upper hand! Not wanting to see them die, I ordered my Slimes to pile on the closest coyote and joined the fray as well. The four Amber Jellies engulfed the small wolf-like creature and although it managed to inflict some damage, it was soon incapacitated and began dissolving in the Slimes' acids. The warrior that was still standing managed to capitalise on the distraction, stabbing the remaining coyote in the neck, ending its life. My Slimes received ample xp and also a level each! One of them gained two level ups instead of one and I wondered if it was the same one I had accidentally given experience points to, after it had pleasured me.
Both coyotes were absorbed by the Dungeon grounds giving me Aether points but I knew I couldn't summon monsters again as long as there were non friendly creatures inside my domain. I raised my hand, ready to make contact as the warriors got on their feet. Before the greeting left my lips they both turned on the Amber Jellies with a bolstering cry, slashing into them with fast scimitar strikes! "Wait! Stop!" I yelled as I rushed forward, arm extended to them as I pleaded. By the time I reached them all my Slimes were gone.. The small creatures, gave the men no resistance as I had ordered them not to attack humans!
Without even thinking it through I pushed one of the warriors to the ground in a desperate attempt to make them stop, but it was too late. Both of them looked at me in surprise and after a small pause, the one still standing yelled "Dune Witch!!" with a look of horror on his face. He approached as I raised my hands in a non threatening way, "Wait, this is my home there is no need to.." I said in the Acamar tongue as he interrupted me with a vertical slash across my sternum!
My world went silent as pain shot throughout my body! A deep and long wound was visible as I patted at my chest, now red from all the blood that soaked into my dress.
[You were slashed by a scimitar! 11 points of damage received. 19/30 HP remaining!]
He attempted another strike when instinct took over and my hand grabbed his own, stopping it mid swing! He retaliated, undeterred by my superior strength, kneeing me in the stomach! These men were trained warriors and I was a nerd hiding inside a strong body.
[Unarmed attack sustained! 3 points of damage received. 16/30 HP remaining!]
A maddening need to survive took over and with no sensible way to disengage, I threw my head back before smashing it into the warrior's own! "CRAAACK" He reeled back and almost fell on his back.
[Headbutt successful! 6 points of damage dealt!]
I tried to follow up, but before I could even move, a sharp pain in my leg paralyzed me. I turned around and saw that the downed warrior, I had foolishly ignored, had stabbed me through the thigh for another 9 points of excruciating pain. I was at 7/30 HP and disappointed that my new life was about to end so soon. The second warrior walked towards me, ready to end my existence. At that point, with a rush of movement, my remaining Dire Cave Fisher jumped the prone warrior, attached itself to his face and started clawing away! My attacker panicked and was torn between engaging me or helping his comrade. This opening was all I needed, as I pushed aside all fear and doubt. My fist connected with his face with an audible crack of bone! Teeth flew in the opposite direction and his lower jaw slacked open as blood dripped from his mouth.