The Warped Forest Read online

  As she worked, the ghostly lines and nodes appeared on the hide and breeches. The breeches had one simple node, while the hide had four different ones, each connected by the light-filled lines.

  Alex stared at them, hoping to understand the purpose of their construction, but no spark of insight came. Eventually the pressure behind her eyes from the trapped faez grew to be too much and she filled in a couple lines randomly, hoping to connect the circuit between the two items.

  As the warm rush of faez released, the rhinoboar hide poofed into dust without adding its magic to her deteriorated Cloth Breeches.

  Alex slumped back into the furs with her hands over her face. The smell of burnt ozone from her failed spells filled the cave. She lay still for a while after that, trying to decide if she should wait until she'd gotten more skill ups, or take a chance with the final skin.

  Alex decided that a new weapon was more important than anything else, so she used the other giant moth wing and two rhinoboar hides, each time tracing lines randomly, hoping to discover the secret of the spell.

  The goat-bull tail was going to be her final practice item until she remembered there were multiple ways to use items included in her Minor Creation spell. The tail would make a good handle for her weapon, so using the adhesive ointment, Alex stuck the goat-bull tail to the bottom of the rope.

  When her faez bar was full again, Alex concentrated on the last electric-python skin. The pattern was more familiar to Alex, though she couldn't pinpoint where she knew it from. The whip had two connecting nodes while the skin had four.

  She looked for a path that would connect all six nodes without crossing each other. When she saw it, Alex quickly traced over the path. As the spell completed, a tingling sensation traveled over her body and into the rope, followed by a flash of transformation light.

  You have gained a skill point: +1 Transference

  The pre-whip shimmered with unresolved energy. As soon as her faez was refilled, Alex cast Minor Creation, hoping that would be enough to finish the job. When the whip snapped into view, as if it were coming into focus, she cheered.

  You have received: The Shocking Strangler

  Quest Completed: Create a magical weapon

  You have gained experience: 5,000 XP

  You have gained a skill point: +1 Devious Device

  You have gained a skill point: +1 Minor Creation

  She quickly dismissed the pop-ups in excitement to view her new weapon.

  Item: The Shocking Strangler

  Dmg: 10-22 ׀ 35/35 Durability

  Effect: 15% chance of Electric Damage (Dmg: 20-40)

  Special Attribute: Strangulation (Only on restrained creatures / Cannot affect more than 5 levels above)

  Don't lose this weapon too

  The rope and goat-bull tail had turned into a silky black leather weapon with a gnarly end. As she swished it around her body, the whip moved with sensual grace like a snake greeting its master.

  Her first instinct was to rush into the forest to find a creature to test her new weapon on, but she didn't want to get killed by the cobrawasp before she had a plan. Before she could resume hunting, she needed to deal with her stalker, or at least find a way to avoid it. Alex had an idea, but it was going to require retraining.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Three days later, Alex was back in the Warped Forest, but not in the deeper sections where she'd encountered the cobrawasp. She stood on a branch about twenty feet up, hand on the trunk beside her, keeping a lookout.

  It was daytime rather than night when she normally hunted, which gave her a good view of the forest. The Shocking Strangler hung by her side, but the tip had unraveled and was caressing her leg, which had been a little strange when it first started, but Alex quickly got used to it.

  She heard crashing through the undergrowth long before she felt the connection to her minions return. A hundred feet ahead or so, the small trees shook as something large passed by. Occasionally, a gnarly snout appeared above the brush, snapping at the tasty steak hovering right out of reach.

  Two of her bloats had a Tasty Moth Meat carried between them in a harness she'd made for them, while a gatorbear muscled through the undergrowth after it.

  The creature had the body of a brown bear but the head of a gator. Its mouth of jagged teeth kept rising from the brush, snapping its jaws.

  Reaching out to her minions, Alex nudged them towards her trap. In relentless pursuit of food, the gatorbear failed to notice the loop of weaved rope suspended between two trees. As the creature's head passed through it, the rope cinched around its neck, and then on the other end, a heavy log was pulled off its perch, creating a counterweight.

  Ms. Vance, her high school physics teacher, would have been proud of the contraption, but Alex had no time to admire it. When the log fell, it yanked the gatorbear backwards momentarily, but the creature thrashed around trying to get at the rope.

  Alex stayed on her perch, head swiveling in all directions. She didn't see when the Ghostly Cobrawasp appeared, but Inky, who was flying in the upper canopy watching her, sent a stab of alarm through their physic link.

  Without looking, Alex grabbed the rope near her head and jumped, which simultaneously slowed her fall and dropped a weighted net on the creature flying above her head.

  She hit the ground with a roll as the net crashed down nearby. The cobrawasp was only half contained by the net. Alex cast Dewdrop Orb on the hooded cobra head. Her first try fizzled out, but the second attempt created a glistening ball of water around its head. She didn't think it would suffocate the creature, but it would keep it from spitting on her.

  Fifty feet behind her, she could hear the gatorbear lunging around, making a strangled growl as it tried to dislodge itself from her cunning rope trap. But she ignored it. It was the cobrawasp she needed to kill.

  The problem was it wasn't completely covered by the weighted net. She'd applied heavy stones to the edges so it would fall onto the cobrawasp and keep it grounded so she could kill it with her new whip, but only half its body was under the net.

  Alex rushed to the net and tried to drag it over the glistening black stinger, but it kept thrashing around, making her task difficult. Since her strength was nonexistent, she was thrown around by the larger cobrawasp.

  Around the time she realized she wasn't going to be able to drag the net back on it, the dewdrop orb disappeared from the cobra's mouth. Before it could spit on her and destroy more of her gear, Alex fled, sprinting through the undergrowth back to her camp.

  After a ten-minute run, she was back in her cave, huddling with her bloats. She hated giving up, since it'd taken two days to build her traps, but a tactical retreat was better than failure.

  She had hopes the rope trap might strangle the gatorbear and she'd get a random experience gain, but when no pop-up came, she knew it'd escaped along with the Ghostly Cobrawasp.

  Inky, Blinky, Pinky, and Clyde hovered around her as if they were consoling her for the botched attempt.

  "It's okay, guys. It was a good shot. We almost had it, and learned some things. You can go hunt if you want," she said.

  Immediately, they pushed through the fur covering on the cave and shot across the chasm. She'd been training them with the harness, so they hadn't had time to hunt as normal.

  While there was some disappointment, she was also pleased that she'd been able to survive an encounter with the Ghostly Cobrawasp. She'd proved that her minions could be a good scout for her, and that a weighted net could capture the cobrawasp. If it'd fallen more cleanly, she was sure she could have killed the cobrawasp while it was stuck beneath the net.

  "Next time...next time."

  Chapter Nineteen

  In the next three weeks Alex resumed the successful hunting that had been her hallmark before the Ghostly Cobrawasp. She managed to kill enough critters to level her to four, which gave her a little more cushion with her hit points and faez.

  As an experiment, she put a point into Intelligence, which inc
reased her faez bar slightly, suggesting it affected the faez pool available. The other point she put into Agility to help with the whip, climbing, and stealth. The last point, she put into Cunning since that was her main stat, or at least she hoped that would be her main stat when it came time to choose a class. The line next to "Class:" still annoyingly said Undecided.

  During the time she was hunting, Alex didn't see the cobrawasp, though she kept up her precautions in case it decided to show up and attack her while she was distracted.

  On the day her minions were luring a barkhippo from a swampy section of the Warped Forest, Alex stood on her lookout perch. Both Inky and Blinky were positioned above, watching for the cobrawasp while Pinky and Clyde carried the bait harness.

  You have gained a skill point: +1 Analyze (Tier Two)

  She was excited about the additional skill point because it pushed the analyze skill into the second tier, but she didn't have time to take advantage of the level because she heard the crunching of leaves from her left. Through the trees, Alex saw the hunched back and long snout of the gatorbear that had escaped her trap weeks ago.

  It was marching through the forest, its snout raised as if it were sniffing the air. It was the first time she'd seen it since that day. She wished it'd come at a different time, because the barkhippo was almost in the trap, but then had an idea how she might kill both creatures.

  It was going to require some risk, but if she didn't increase her experience gain, she was never going to get to level 20 by the end of the year.

  "This is probably a bad idea," she said, grabbing the rope hanging nearby and sliding back to the forest floor.

  Her Boots of Ascending crunched dead leaves, before she surged forward, headed towards the gatorbear. With the link to her minions, Alex sensed that the barkhippo was nearing the pit trap.

  But thoughts of the barkhippo disappeared as she stumbled into a clearing the same time as the gatorbear. It rumbled to a stop, growling and snapping its long snout.

  "Come at me, punk," said Alex, sending a wind gust in its direction.

  A gray cloud shot forward, cracking with electricity. A single snaking bolt zapped the gatorbear right on its snout, enraging it.

  You have learned a new spell: Cloud Taunt

  The gatorbear shook its head before charging at Alex. The sudden surge caught her by surprise, as it moved faster than she expected. Alex barely dodged its toothy mouth as it snapped shut behind her.

  She ran through the undergrowth, momentarily disoriented by the charging attack. Alex used the connection to her minions to triangulate the location of the pit trap. She knew that timing would be everything.

  The gatorbear made a second surge, forcing Alex to deviate from her path, screwing up the clock in her head. She pushed herself faster, ignoring the slap and scratch of branches whipping her face. Behind her the saprolings and bushes that tried to entrap her were trampled beneath the enormous gatorbear.

  Adrenaline burned through her body. She felt like the world was on fire. Nothing mattered but every last ounce of speed she could get to stay ahead of the gatorbear.

  She was pushing so hard, she almost missed that she'd entered the clearing where she'd dug the pit trap. At that moment, the other side of the undergrowth burst aside, revealing the barkhippo, a watery-looking beast covered in tree bark and sprouting small saprolings from its back.

  The barkhippo had its head raised as it tried to get at the floating meat held by Pinky and Clyde, so it never saw the giant hole in the forest floor.

  Alex leapt the corner of the trap, avoiding the trigger wires right as the barkhippo tumbled in. The gatorbear, however, which was right on her tail, sensed the hole and tried to maneuver around it, but its forward momentum was too great and it tipped sideways into the hole.

  As the trigger ropes released the heavy logs to fall, the two massive creatures jammed together, fitting perfectly in the rectangular hole.

  With the trap closed, the gatorbear and barkhippo squirmed to release themselves but there was no extra room in the pit.

  Alex straddled the pit, looking down between her legs at the trapped creatures.

  Carnivorous Gatorbear, Warped Animal, Level 13

  Ability: Destructive Sawtooth

  Sprouting Barkhippo, Warped Animal, Level 12

  Ability: Reactive Hide

  The new information was a nice bonus for reaching the second tier of the analyze skill. It was her first higher-tier skill.

  "I almost feel bad about this," said Alex, then looked up to her minions, who hovered above her head. "Feeding time."

  The bloats attached themselves to the two trapped warped animals, while Alex practiced her spells and One-handed Whip on them, alternating between the two while her faez pool refilled. It took ten minutes to wear them down, but eventually Alex was greeted with a scrolling of information.

  Critical hit! You deal the Carnivorous Gatorbear 32 damage! The Carnivorous Gatorbear is affected by Shock for 56 damage! You have killed the Carnivorous Gatorbear!

  The Sprouting Barkhippo is affected by Shock for 52 damage! You have killed the Sprouting Barkhippo!

  You have gained experience: 1,300 XP

  You have gained experience: 1,200 XP

  Special Achievement Reached: You have killed two creatures more than ten levels above yours at the same time!

  You have gained bonus experience: 50,000 XP

  You have gained a skill point: +1 One-handed Whip

  You have gained a unique skill point: +1 Cunning Strategist

  You have reached level 5!

  You may now choose your class!

  Congratulations! Don't screw it up!

  Between the adrenaline of running through the forest barely ahead of the gatorbear and the wealth of increases, she couldn't catch her breath. Alex walked around the trap for a few minutes before she was calm enough to loot.

  Aware that she was so spiked with post-fight energy that if the Ghostly Cobrawasp showed up she'd be in terrible shape, Alex finally looted the two beasts and headed back to camp.

  She was thrilled upon seeing her acquisitions.

  You have received: Jagged Gator Bones x3

  You have received: Bark Hide x6

  You have received: A Large Chimeric Stone x1

  Both bodies disappeared, which made reusing her trap much easier. She was intrigued by the large chimeric stone, which was a first. Maybe it would give her a clue on how to solve the quest she'd been given when she found the smaller versions. She also received meat from both, but those were uninteresting in the greater scheme of things.

  Back in the camp, her minions settled in their nests, plump from feeding. When she realized she didn't cringe as much when she looked at them, and that their eyes were more rounded and the length of their proboscises much smaller, Alex checked them with the analyze skill.

  Inky, Minion, Level 2

  Blinky, Minion, Level 2

  Pinky, Minion, Level 2

  Clyde, Minion, Level 2

  "That's interesting," said Alex, though she was disappointed they didn't have any abilities yet.

  If she squinted, they were beginning to look more like fuzzy floating puffer fish than creepy bloats.

  "Now, for the good stuff," she said, opening her stat sheet.

  Character: Alexandria Duke

  Level: 5

  Strength: 1

  Intelligence: 2

  Cunning: 6

  Agility: 2

  Endurance: 3

  Charisma: 1

  Class: Undecided

  Subclass: Undecided

  Health: 55/55

  Faez: 55/55

  Fatigue: 23%

  XP: 101,023 / 270,000

  Skills:

  Analyze: 10

  One-handed Slashing: 1

  Fire Spells: 2

  Devious Device: 6

  Sense Direction: 7

  One-handed Whip: 6

  Water Spells: 6

  Cooking: 8

  Ste
alth: 5

  Climbing: 3 (+5 Ascending Boots)

  Air Spells: 5

  Unique Skills:

  Cunning Strategist: 2

  Mastermind: 1

  Spells:

  Dewdrop Orb: 6

  Minor Creation: 4

  Transference: 4

  Cloud Taunt: 1

  The undecided part of her class blinked. When Alex touched it a menu bloomed into existence.

  You have shown an affinity for the Cunning stat. Choose your class from amongst these three options:

  Arcane Mastermind

  Sub-Stat: Intelligence

  Signature Spell: Misdirection

  Passive Ability: Luck of the Bold

  Related Skills:

  Related Unique Skills: Cunning Strategist, Mastermind

  Base Element: Air

  Mistress of Élan

  Sub-Stat: Charisma

  Signature Spell: Panache

  Passive Ability: Velvet Tongue

  Related Skills: One-handed Whip

  Related Unique Skills:

  Base Element: Water

  Devious Artificer

  Sub-Stat: Endurance

  Signature Spell: Masterful Creation

  Passive Ability: Artificial Life

  Related Skills: Devious Device

  Related Unique Skills:

  Base Element: Fire

  Usually she sorted classes into the distinct playstyles that usually propagated online games: tank, DPS, healer, or support. But an initial glance told her they didn't neatly fit into one or the other. Having spent the past few months in the game, she realized that occupying a singular role in Gamemakers Online was a mistake.

  Those roles were a nice shorthand for game designers to give opportunities to every type of person to enjoy the game. But Gamemakers Online hadn't been made for pure enjoyment. There was no mass player base that it had to appeal to.