CHAPTER 6 – Stick Season...
I realized this wasn’t over yet and stood to my feet.
I looked around, unsure how we won.
How did the Spriggans not hear us fighting their apparent “Guardian” and come inside to immediately end us?
After catching our breath and checking our surroundings to make sure it was safe, I searched the home. I pulled a couple old blankets from the hope chest at the end of Bell’s bed using them to cover Bell and Lily.
“Hey Arthur, sorry for yelling at you buddy, adrenaline had me bad. You didn’t deserve it, but you should stay back if these are the poisonous variety outside. If you get hurt again, don’t re-enter the fight please.” I reprimanded, looking around for anything to use as a weapon.
That’s when I noticed Lily’s body glowing.
“Loot,” I said aloud, a new loot grid appeared in front of my face, I thought, “Loot all.”
I opened my inventory, we received 4 Health Potions. I took two and immediately chugged one down.
As my health climbed back to 100% I took a knee next to Arthur.
“Hey buddy, open wide. Your turn.” He opened his mouth, and I poured it slowly for him until it was gone.
“Woof.”
I guessed that meant he was back to normal as well and maybe, liked the taste?
It honestly didn’t taste anything like I assumed it would. Actually, it was pretty fuckin’ tasty. Almost like a fruity alcoholic drink with some random herb.
Maybe some type of mint?
The first item was labeled "Tail of the Guardian".
The tail resembled a longsword without a handle and was labeled a crafting material by the system. The blade swallowed the light around it. Broken copper lines spiraled up its length, branching off like tiny bolts of lightning.
I dragged my thumb sideways over the blade to test the sharpness and felt a jolt. I pulled my thumb back to see that it actually shaved some skin away.
“Probably just nerves,” I said to myself.
The only downside is that there was no handle on the blade but I had sword for the future.
If I ever find a decent workshop.
I looked at the last item within my inventory. They were called, “Claws of the Guardian”.
“Whoa, these are fuckin’ sweet.” I said, showing Arthur the claws.
The actual claws looked like miniature versions of the tail blade. The 4 claws held in place by dark copper metal backing that traveled up past the wrist. You slip your hands into the glove and use leather straps to secure them.
I got an odd feeling and the hair on my neck started to stand on end as I examined the claws closely, I focused on the item in my inventory with more questioning intent. Then, all of a sudden I felt something click and a description popped up in my vision above the claws.
[Claws of the Guardian—Legendary— +14.50 Piercing and Slashing Damage, +9.50 Lightning damage, 10% Chance to Shock, +5.25% Critical Hit Chance, Backstabs While in Stealth Always Critical Hit—Can be used by quadruped.]
I looked down at Arthur, removing the gloves as I spoke, “I don’t like how the description is set up, but oh well. These are rad.”
“Barroo?” Arthur asked with his head to the side.
The noise he made gave me a good chuckle, “Yeah, I don’t think it really fits me either. They seem tailor made for a bad ass pup though.” I responded, still unable to understand the dog language, but fuck it, I was going to continue rolling with it.
I set the gloves on the hardwood floor in front of Arthur. The claws disappeared for a few seconds then reappeared on his front paws, going up past his weird little doggy ankle.
“Dang buck, you look bad as fuck,” I said laughing maniacally but actually in awe of my weaponized dog.
His tail just wagged along, tongue dangling like always.
I continued, “I need to figure out how I’m going to progress and fast but I shouldn’t try to build myself like I would a standard RPG character because, this isn’t a game.” I paused.
“This is real.” It was as if everything dawned on me all over again.
The death of my neighbor and good friend.
The anxiety of figuring out how my family is.
I drifted into another distant memory.
Mom, god I miss you...
She was in the kitchen at my childhood home, working on a side dish to go with dinner, “Hey honey! Can you grab the roast out of the oven for me?” She yelled to my Father who was in the other room, busy watching the football game he acted like he didn’t hear her or maybe he really couldn’t because he was zoned in too much.
“I got it Mom.” I told her as I removed the chuck roast from the oven and set it on top of the range.
At this point, I had graduated high school a year prior and was working full time at the local steel mill. I just enrolled into Community College a few towns over. I was uncertain of what to do with my life. Always feeling lost and skeptical of where I could go or what I could do.
My mother was always my biggest fan, always trying to teach me some life lesson, but I was always too fucking stubborn to listen and learn.
“Thanks sweetie, your father must be too busy!” She said joking around, making sure he heard the last bit.
“Yeah, isn’t he always?” I joked back.
“It’s alright, he works hard during the week. I make him do things with me on Saturdays, so he deserves a little break, occasionally. Don’t tell him I said that. I need the upper hand after all.” She said laughing while watching me force out a laugh, “What’s wrong?” She asked, knowing me better than I knew myself at this point.
“I don’t know what I want to do with my life... I’ve already wasted a year not knowing where to go or what to do with this college shit. I never wanted to go when I was in high school. I just wanted it to be done, but now being in the real world as you old people call it, I see that I wasted a huge opportunity.” I whined.
She was removing her famous sourdough from the stove, “You didn’t waste anything. You can still do anything you want to do.” She attempted to cheer away my late teenage angst.
“Yeah but that’s the issue! I don’t know what the fuck I want to do!” Raising my voice a little bit out of my own frustration. I winced watching the memory back.
I heard my menacing father chirp up in the other room, “Calm down, don’t make me get up!”
“You’ll figure it out as you go. For now, take the required classes, explore what it is that makes you happy or excites you. When you find it, you will know almost immediately…” She paused what she was doing to walk up to me, “Rick, you can do anything you put your mind to. You’re smarter and more talented than you let on.” She was always able to calm me down and force the negativity out of the air like it was her super power.
“I’ll try. I just hate not knowing what to do.” I said, my pouty attitude beginning to wane.
We started bringing the food to the dining room table, “Like I said, You will figure it out. What is it you and your father say all the time? Oh! You’ll be aight!” She did her best impression of my father as we laughed.
I went through dozens of jobs and hobbies, learning new trades and specialties. I never knew what I wanted to do with my life, I just bounced around. Then bounced around some more, learning everything I could.
Now though.
In this exact moment, I know exactly what I’m going to do.
I’m going to kill these fuckin’ things outside.
Then, I’m going to find my family...
Snapping out of my daze I whispered, “Thanks Mom, See you soon.”
I saw Bell’s old antique lamp laying on the floor. I finished breaking the lamp, kicking off the base then hammered down on the end where the bulb use to be while spinning the tip in circles, creating a new makeshift spear.
I hammered as I spun it until the tip had a nice pointy end, then moved to the kitchen and grabbed the least destroyed kitchen knives I could find. Once finished I turned to Arthur who looked, bigger maybe?
“We need to get to town, find supplies, then we’re going to find grandma and grandpa.” I laid out the rest of the plan to Arthur, “But first, let’s go outside and fuck those guys up. If it’s okay for you to jump into the fight I will say, Bad Guy!” I told him, adding, “Did you get bigger somehow?”
He shook his head up and down excitedly, “Woof!”
“You leveled up!? Awesome buddy! I’m proud of you Buck.” I told him then further explained the stats and told him what I believed each different stat controlled. It seemed like he already knew or had an idea, but I wanted to be sure.
After explaining everything to him and going over how he distributed his first level up I learned he only gets the standard 5 points per level up. I was hoping the title I was given was shared with him as well but we weren’t that lucky.
I told him my plan for taking out the Spriggans. I wanted him to use his speed to disorient and split them up while I take out two at a time.
We moved closer to the front door, I took the anxiety building up and turned it into adrenaline and rage as I kicked the front door as hard as I could.
What should have happened, the door should have gone flying off the hinges into the front yard, gaining the attention of the baddies waiting outside, but that is not what happened.
I kicked the door as hard as I possibly could, the door didn’t budge or even shake. Instead, when I extended my leg, I launched myself backwards, crashing through the drywall of the mudroom and tumbling onto the kitchen floor.
Confused, I stood up wiping the drywall dust off my clothes while laughing at myself.
“Ha! Ahh shit… Weird, I kicked that thing really fuckin’ hard and it’s barely hanging on the trim... Something is up.”
That’s when I noticed a slightly shimmering barrier in the gap between the broken drywall and the broken trim to the door. I tried pushing my finger through it but it felt as hard as steel.
It was some sort of magical see-through shit wall, and apparently it surrounded the entire house.
Was this some sort of barrier put up for the boss fight so nothing intervened?
I’ll take it this time since it helped deter the Spriggans. I don’t think they even heard us or know we’re here. What if we end up needing to run from a fight, would we be trapped in?
I reached for the door handle and as soon as I touched it the barrier dissipated. “Good to know, I’ll have to remember this next time we’re locked in with another man and dog eating cat beast.”
We left the house, my pointy metal stick that I kept calling a spear in hand and my new dagger, also known as a chef’s knife, on my hip in a little handmade sheathe made out of Bell’s old purse.
With my adrenaline peaked and my heart pounding in my ears we walked around the corner of the house. The entire backyard was illuminated with a thick bright green aura that was difficult to see into. I always think of green as healing magic but I stayed weary as I slowly walked into the bright light holding my hand out for Arthur to stay where he is.
The first thing I saw on entering the green glow was 5 Spriggans sitting on the ground, all facing the woods with a lime green light traveling like electrical wires into the back of the Sixth Spriggan, the only one standing. They all had their backs to me.
I felt a light breeze and a warm glow from the aura.
It felt as if all of the pain I’d ever suffered, never happened in the first place.
If this is healing magic, I need it.
I sat down behind the Spriggans, joining them in whatever this was.
Meh, I don’t really care anymore.
There was one odd looking Spriggan out of the bunch, the one standing in front.
He, or she, seemed to be the one creating the heavenly aura that was filling my bones with nirvana.
Above the Spriggan’s head.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
[Spriggan Evoker—Summoner]
[System Generated—Evolved Demonic Conversion]
I sat there basking in the glorious green glow and closed my eyes. I was entranced with the tranquil feeling emanating from the Spriggans and I never wanted to leave.
I went from the constant fear of death and loss to feeling pure joy and euphoria, like I had reached the peak of Heaven and nothing could ever bring me down.
I felt something pulling me from behind.
Tug, Tug, Tug.
I didn’t really care though.
This is nice.
My head was clear of all thoughts and worries, I laid in the grass smiling with my eyes closed.
Tug, Tug, Tug.
“RuffRuffRuffRuff!!!” Arthur violently barked in my ear snapping me out of it.
“Arthur? What’s goin—eh shit!” I jumped to my feet, shaking my head clear and realizing what happened.
Arthur was holding onto one of the Spriggan arms trying not to take flight. The aura was gone and the Spriggans who all sat in a line in front of me seconds ago, were now hanging in the air and mutating.
Branches warped and zipped through the air, all converging on one point next to the summoner.
It was like I stepped into a hellish hurricane with leaves, branches and random body parts flying through the air.
Branches almost impaled me, logs tripped me up and knocked me back to the ground as I worked my way through the mess
I rolled out of the center of the storm and hopped back to my feet, that’s when it all clicked. It all came back to me as clear as day.
I could finally understand the horror that I was watching while controlled by that hypnotizing spell.
The Spriggans were in the middle of some sort of ritual. The one odd looking Spriggan was a type of summoner.
Bell’s missing limbs, the ones that were cut off clean and precise, I thought Lily had a feast, but I was wrong.
She collected them and brought them to the Spriggans, along with all of the missing organs.
That’s why she looked so hollow...
It looks like Lily was collecting body parts and organs from other animals or beasts in the area as well based on the amount of blood and different shapes hanging from the tapestry of horror in front of me.
That must be why she was at the end of the road. She was collecting...
Bell’s body parts along with the other beast parts hung from branches or were pierced by sticks, everything was twisted and held together by different sized intestines.
They were arranged in a monstrous form.
From the torso up it looked almost human-like but with 4 long gangling arms.
The bottom half was like that of a really fat fucking horse with 6 stubby legs rather than 4. Only one of the four arms and one of the six legs weren’t made of branches, instead they belonged to Bell.
“Arthur, Bail!” I yelled as I noticed he was losing his tug of war match with the summoning spell, “Come!” I screamed over the hurricane-like wind as I backed away from the gathering.
“New plan Arthur. We have seconds before this thing finishes whatever is happening. You wait back a little bit and dodge. I’m going to figure out its weak spot. When I do, I’ll tag you in. You keep its attention but stay a safe distance while I try to climb it somehow!”
He voiced his opinion above the roaring wind, “WOOF!”
“Let’s fuck this thing up!” I called out as I ran toward the abomination, metal pole in hand.
The summoning was now obviously complete as the creature opened its eyes.
Swirling blood red orbs filled the knots, each eye appearing as a whirlpool of blood.
Only the Spriggan Evoker was left along side this monstrous creation.
I juked at the big guy and stuck my sharpened pole into the stomach of the Spriggan Evoker, instantly killing it with a well placed thrust to the known weak spot.
I yanked back on the spear and threw it at the head of the large monstrosity then jumped back to create distance.
When we locked eyes the health bar appearred.
[Gaap—Bramblesk Form]
[Summoned From The Realm of The Sixth]
[Untrue Form—Lesser Demon]
The organs were covered behind wooden armor made out of the bodies of the sacrificed Spriggans. Twisting branches covering any weak spots.
I drew the kitchen knife in my left hand and Hammer-Axe in my right as I circled around, Arthur was staying back like I asked.
I moved toward the Bramblesk taking a swipe with my Axe at an arm aimed for my face.
One limb went flying off, but another branch grew in its place almost instantaneously.
It threw three punches at once, I managed to cut off one arm and block another, but the third hit like a tank.
It felt like my kidney ruptured but I had to keep moving or die.
I rolled back attempting to distance myself from the demon but it followed closely, not missing a stride.
It started to attack faster using all four arms, rapid strikes lit me up from every angle.
I cut off branch after branch, stabbing and ripping with my knife to no avail.
We went on like this and I was pummeled as I struggled to find any sort of weakness.
Giving up I slid under the stomping feet of the massive demon to get behind it. I ran away finally putting distance between us. While he had incredible straight speed, the clumsy fucker couldn’t turn around too fast.
“Buck! Keep the fucker spinning!”
I kept backing up to keep some breathing room but was suddenly unable to move.
Roots grew over my slippers, snaking up around my legs like a python hunting unsuspecting prey.
I swung my little axe as fast as I could to cut myself free, accidentally splitting my own shin multiple times as I rushed.
When I looked up to check Gaap’s progression, the demon finished turning around and was awkwardly strutting my way.
I managed to free one foot but I wasn’t fast enough.
A blood red beam streaked from the demons mouth, striking me in the stomach and burning into my skin.
There goes another good shirt...
My health fell from 60% to critical in an instant as I crumbled into a heap. My blood felt as if it were boiling.
I struggled to get to my knees as I pulled my other foot free, leaving the moccasin with the roots.
Shit, I’m about to die… Fuck.
The pain was unlike anything I thought could be real.
I positioned my foot behind the trapped slipper and roots to give the illusion that I was still stuck.
“Inventory.”
As I was reaching for a health potion, I heard her speak, “You pathetic little shit, you thought you could kill me with a rock tied to a stick and some little kitchen knives? Hahaha ha ha…” She laughed, the sound chilling to the bone, “Your kind will soon be extinct on this planet, the only living will be the carry slaves, females used to seed the world with our offspring, if they’re strong enough to endure the daily torturing anyway.”
It was Bell.
Her voice anyways, only it was distorted and ragged, every syllable quietly spoken with the screams of thousands of the damned underneath.
It was the most haunting thing I had ever heard and it terrified every part of me.
“Just die and serve the 6th by growing this new body of mine. It’s not my true form but it will grow. It will be plenty to deal with your weak kind and the other wannabe lord’s once I finish transformation. With the addition of your body I will grow stronger. I will soon be my truest self.” It said.
During the monsters monologue, I noticed that my last kill gave me the experience needed for another level up. So I used the monologue to upgrade my stats.
Only this time I kept it a little more straight forward with a big boost to strength. I had to buy a little time for the potion to bring my health all the way up so I decided to try my own monologue for the first time.
“Just die, huh?” I said choking on my own blood, I downed the potion and continued speaking as my strength returned, “Fuck you... If this isn’t your real body like you mentioned, then I’ll be seeing you soon bub.”
“Hahaha. Ahhh, entertaining. You have a lot of spirit for useless food. That will make you taste that muc—” I rolled to the side grabbing the metal pole from the ground.
With one powerful step I hopped into the air, tossing the spear as Gaap attempted another channeled beam.
The pole struck true, hitting the demon in the mouth as it opened to attack. The precise throw knocked the beam off target as it burned into the forest behind me.
“Arthur, NOW!” I yelled and he immediately sprung into action.
I circled away, keeping Gaap’s attention as Arthur sprinted in behind the abomination and ripped one of the legs clean off.
Arthur ran with the branch in his mouth that was once Gaap’s leg.
He swung his head, using the branch to knock out the 2 remaining legs on his side of the clumsy demon. I circled in and jumped onto its back.
During his second attempt to shoot me with the blood boiling beam, I saw where the energy came from. The center of the thickest spot on the body, where the bottom half met the torso.
As the monster fell, I used my new stats to jump as high as I could. I crashed down on the weak spot with my ‘rock tied to a stick’, splintering the bark and branches on its back.
I broke through the armor and rapidly stabbed my knife in and out as fast as I could, covering myself in blood and sticky black sap.
During my rapid flurry I hit something important as blood erupted like a geyser, covering me from head to toe in the blood of a dozen different creatures.
“Gah! Just dieeee!” The screams coming from the demon sounded like thousands of people screaming together in unison directly into my face. I had to cover my ears and retreat.
As I retreated Gaap wildly thrashed razor sharp arm branches in my direction.
I did my best to block the killing blows but couldn’t block all of the strikes. I was left with deep cuts to my legs, chest, and neck before I could make it out of reach.
Arthur surged, snapping branch after branch as the demon attempted regenerating its legs.
Arthur wasn’t having it, he kept snatching them just as fast as they grew.
He was a dog turned wood chipper, every bite and swipe of his new claws covered us in a shower of saw dust. It was a scary sight to behold and made me truly happy that he didn’t turn like Lily did.
Arthur held the demons attention but he was beginning to take damage as more roots grew from the ground attempting to pin him down.
I hopped up, attempting to dislocate Bell’s arm from this abomination when the arm suddenly snapped out, grabbing me by the neck. I rolled my weapon hatchet side out and cut the arm off where it connected to the atrocious creature.
I grabbed the arm as I fell to the ground.
I rolled under the demon repeating the process with her leg, trying to separate all parts of this wonderful ladies memory from this bullshit monster.
Arthur continued keeping attention as I ran back to the house and gently set the limbs on the stoop.
I joined Arthur’s side, delivering a brutal slice that separated another leg attempting to reconstruct.
Side by side with Arthur we fought. In a last desperate attempt Gaap tried rolling over. I bound forward Axe in hand as Arthur backpedaled, swinging where I saw Bell’s heart pierced through a stick before the transformation.
Unable to break through the hardened outer bark, I took one more cleaving swing, instead aiming at the neck.
I removed Gaap’s head.
I reached my left arm into the neck hole, breaking twigs and branches as I dug deeper.
It felt like my arm was in the wood chipper as my skin peeled back and chunks of muscle shredded off the bone, but I found the branch the heart was connected to.
Gaap’s health plummeted.
I held Bell’s heart, removing it as gently as I could.
I punched my right fist into the stump of a neck hole and grabbed onto anything I could feel that wasn’t a damn stick. Once finding some sort of flesh or muscle, I circled my arm around inside the demon wrapping everything I could around my arm.
Letting out a hoarse guttural scream, I pulled.
I fell to the ground landing on my feet, held gently in my mangled left arm was a heart pierced on a stick no thicker than my index finger.
In my right, I held the intestines of multiple creatures, used as the monsters blood vessels.
“Fuck this world...” I said as the gang of branches fell apart, no longer held together by whatever evil magic was used to summon the demon.
Walking back to the side of Bell’s house I met Arthur, “Good job bud.”
I removed food from the sled and found a bowl inside to put it in, I filled another with Bell’s bottled water and put it down for Arthur.
I walked to the pile of sticks, “Loot,” I received 6 Healing Potions that I split with Arthur.
I also received 10 vials of some shit called, ‘Sap of the Six’, and 3 ‘Demon Cord’, I was guessing some sort of crafting material.
I’ll figure out what this shit is later when I actually have a way to work with items.
After catching my breath and healing our injuries, I went to the shed and grabbed a shovel then began digging next to the Bell’s flower garden. I had to staunch the tears that threatened to drown my world.
A new notification showed on my HUD. I mentally opened it.
[Quest Complete! - “Kill the Guardian of the Spriggans and clear the nest.”]
I felt something invade my body but wasn’t in the mood to fuck around with this system shit.
I continued digging.