Chapter 46

Wolvensden, Etson National Forest, Etson - 8:17 PM

I took a tentative step forward. “My name is Anthony,” I called. “My three companions and I have entered an accord with this forest’s mother, Serranras, to save your village and then her tree. We are here to help.”

My eyes panned the walls. I could see the beady eyes of the Kobolds on the other side. They each held their crossbows steady and trained on us. However, at the mention of Serranras they seemed less sure of themselves. Lowering one hand slowly, I pointed to the marks she left on my face as a figure stepped up onto the wall.

"If Serranras has asked you to come to help, then I insist you leave," the Kobold said. He was small, perhaps three feet tall at most. His fur was black and white with a smattering of salt and pepper around the muzzle. The Kobold wore green robes and carried a thick staff.

"Unacceptable," I claimed. "In order to help Serranras, we must help you."

"Your presence here is doing nothing but harm, human," the gruff Kobold said. "If you are found here then the Vespae are going to stop at nothing to kill the mother tree, slaying Serranras. If we attempt to flee again, they will kill Serranras. We have already discussed it thoroughly, and we'd rather live under wasp rule than see our dearest ally cut down. Besides, the path to safety is fraught with a very powerful enemy that has already slain many of us.”

I nodded, understanding his words. They would all suffer for her. “I understand your trepidation, but we can do what your tribe has not been able to thanks to this man.” I looked back and motioned for Jeff to step forward. He did so hesitantly. “This is Jeff, he has been claimed by Serranras as her champion,” I announced.

The Kobolds broke out into whispered conversation, and I heard Kayla snort behind me. The robed one had narrowed his eyes at Jeff, and I waited. After a few seconds, the Kobold on the wall stomped his foot and the others fell silent.

“Interesting. What say you, champion?” he asked. “What makes you think you can succeed where we have failed?”

Jeff tilted his head in thought. “I don’t think it really matters what I say, does it?”

The Kobold barked a laugh. “You don’t think so?”

“No, not really,” Jeff said, crossing his arms. “We’re humans who showed up out of the blue and claim we want to help, but soon we’re going to be going through the same things that you all have so it’s not like our motives are pure. Even though Serranras has decided to allow us to help, that doesn’t mean we’re strong or trustworthy, just that she thinks we might be able to change something. I think.”

“And what do you plan on doing about it, champion?” the Kobold asked, rubbing his chin.

Putting his hands on his hips, Jeff looked to the ground. I smiled at how careful he was being about this. “We need to show that we’re reliable through our actions. I think… We need to make a safe path out of here,” he finally said. “For the village. And we need to help Serranras immediately after everyone escapes, before the night is over. The first will allow you to be free, which will let us help her.”

“How do you plan on helping the forest mother? Dig her free and the three of you get to take her away?”

“Serranras has an opportunity,” I said, stepping in. “This forest is thriving, and will do so even after she is gone once the Vespae are dealt with. You won’t leave without this forest’s mother, and this forest’s mother won’t leave without you. Once you are safe, she can leave her old tree behind and bond with a sapling. It’ll leave her vulnerable for a while, but we can carry her to safety and your people can make sure she grows back into the forest mother you know and love.”

“There are options,” Jeff added. “We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t think we could do it. You won’t even need to trust us until we clear a path for you, just tell us that you’ll leave when the time comes.”

The Kobold jumped down from his wall, landing softly in the dirt. He walked towards us slowly, but kept his eyes on Jeff. He sniffed the air cautiously before speaking. “Do you know what our jailer does to those who try to flee the village?” When Jeff shook his head, the Kobold continued somberly. “There’s just one, an ant. She skitters about the forest as stealthy as can be, leaving traps for those stepping out of line. Some she constructs herself, others are human born and modified. She doesn’t need traps; she enjoys them. Her victims are returned to the edge of Wolvensden to suffer, screaming in agony until they finally die. We are not allowed to help them. When you are caught, we won’t be able to help you, either.”

“That’s horrible,” Kayla said.

“Even if it weren’t to help you, she sounds like she needs to go regardless,” Jeff said. “I think we’d have to kill her before the war starts otherwise we’d have a lot of casualties and wasted resources from just walking through the forest.”

“Between Serranras, Talspra, and the Vespae, Etson National Forest is a death trap for any assault force that’s coming through here,” I confirmed. “Even if you don’t trust us to save your people, it’s like Jeff said: we have to try anyway, even if it’s just for us humans.”

“Hmm, I see,” the Kobold said, rubbing his chin again. “I am Elder Tet, what is the name of your other human and canine companion?”

“I am Kayla, and this is Corwin,” she answered.

Elder Tet looked us over, and then shrugged. “If you can bring us the head of Talspra, then most of the village will leave. Wolvensden does not have many warriors any more, but we will help free Serranras once our people are safe.”

“We’ll take them to safety. Not in Etson, but nearby until the people can get used to your presence,” I said. “Then we’ll rush right back to help this forest’s mother.”

After another moment’s consideration, Elder Tet nodded. “Very well, we will follow you if you manage to succeed.”

[[Quest: The Kobold’s Jailer]]

The Kobolds of Wolvensden have agreed to follow you out of the forest. However, a very dangerous ant named Talspra, the Kobold’s jailer, lies in wait for any to attempt fleeing their home. If you kill Talspra, you will be doing more than just helping the Kobold, you will be denying the Vespae Queen a very important piece in the upcoming war.

Objective: Slay Talspra and bring Elder Tet her head.

Reward: Skill Book, 50 points

“Understood,” Jeff said with grim determination. “We’ll do our best and be back as soon as we can.”

“Good luck, then,” Elder Tet said with a grunt. “I hope to see you all back in one piece. Remember, if you are left to die screaming near our gates, we cannot help you.” He turned around and started heading back to the wall. Tapping the staff to the ground, a staircase of dirt rose from the forest floor and allowed him to ascend the ten feet to the top. Once clear, the staircase returned to the earth and the kobold crossbows were pulled from the wall.

I was still as Kayla and Jeff read the new quest. There was a lot missing from Elder Tet’s explanation, but that’s what I was here for. Turning around, I saw them both swipe away text boxes and look up at me. “Let’s head towards the Springs. That’s close enough to Etson that they can help with the war, but far enough away that the players probably won’t find them before we can warn Thomas that they’re friends.”

As we started walking, Kayla spoke first. “He said it was an ant, not a Vespae. Is this something being controlled by a parasitic wasp?”

“Good guess, but no,” I answered. “Talspra is the anthropomorphic version of a Red Velvet Ant, so she’s still a Vespae.”

Kayla arched an eyebrow, but I heard Jeff suck in a breath. “The girls are wingless, so they’re often mistaken for ants,” he explained. “They’re still wasps, generally solitary, and they’re nicknamed ‘cow killer’ because of the massive amount of pain their sting causes.”

“Yeah, that about hits the whole thing on the head,” I said with a nod.

“So she’s out here all alone because she’s not a team player?” Kayla asked.

I shrugged. “She’s still loyal to the Vespae queen, but she isn’t welcome at the nest. So, instead, Talspra is out here making life difficult for anything she doesn’t agree with.”

“Everything we stand for falls under that category, I’m guessing,” Jeff said.

“Got it in one. It’s worse than you think, though. Talspra is a Roaming Boss, which is basically a field boss that moves about. In the forest, unless Serranras decides to lead us straight to her, then she’ll find us first.”

“So we’re trying to find a needle in a haystack?”

“Not nearly as bad,” I said. “She’ll find us sooner or later, especially if we start tripping her traps on purpose.”

“And she won’t go and get help?” Kayla asked. “Or hide behind her traps until they take us out?”

“Not that I’ve ever seen,” I said, not speaking up about all the changes that have already happened. “She’s proud, sadistic, and only ever really wants to inflict pain on things. Her traps will focus on causing pain and despair, and her spear will feel like it will have dealt more damage than it did, but she likes to be in your face about it. She’ll come after us.”

Kayla and Jeff looked at each other and grimaced. It was an understandable response, and this fight wouldn’t be for the faint of heart. “Anything else we should know?”

“Her exoskeleton will be tougher than the average Vespae, so tougher than Fertro’s. She’ll also be very fast and acrobatic and use the terrain to her advantage. Your best bet is to try to force her into her own traps while avoiding the ones she tries to maneuver you into. It’s a very dynamic battlefield, but I’ll be offering some support.”

“Some support?” Jeff asked.

“Yeah, I haven’t seen either of you fight yet and this is the kind of high stakes battle that really forges a player, you know?” When they only worriedly stared at me, I gave them a light smile. “I’m still going to help, but I do want you guys to take care of this boss. I’ll keep an eye on any traps that you’ll stumble into and, if I think you guys are in any mortal danger, I’ll step in.”

“Oh, thank you so much for your gracious proposal,” Kayla said sarcastically. “I really wish you didn’t spring this on us with a boss. Normal monsters would have been fine, you know.”

“I hear what you’re saying, and I understand where you’re coming from, but,” I paused, pursing my lips. “Pretty sure I warned you guys that the road I’m taking is very dangerous. Just like I told those Etson Faithful idiots, I focus almost completely on strong monsters and boss monsters. It may be mean, and you may hate me for it, but I need to see what you two can do without me because it’s a harsh world out there.”

“You need to know you can rely on us,” Jeff grunted.

I nodded. “I already know you two can deal with people. Perhaps not fighting them, that’s uncomfortable, but you can understand them and get them to understand you. But if you’re going to come with me and help out, then I need to know what you can do so I don’t constantly worry about you. I’ll also know what kind of things I can ask you to handle for me if we need to split up. Fighting Talspra will be scary because of her skills and attitude, but I’m not throwing you to her just because I can.”

Kayla’s face softened, but she still looked worried. “I suppose that’s… Fair.”

Jeff put an arm around her shoulders. “I’ll stay in front to take most of the blows,” he said. “It’ll be easier for me to get around her spear since I have a longer weapon, and you can get in to deal damage when I’m distracting her.”

“I don’t want you to get hurt,” Kayla said softly.

“Nobody should be getting hurt, but it’s going to happen. Very few people are going to make it through a fight like this unscathed, but I’ll be happy if you’re never touched.”

“Jeff loves Kayla very much, and doesn’t want to see her get hurt. Kayla loves Jeff very much, and doesn’t want to see him get hurt. I’ve heard one of them has a lot more combat experience than the other, and that’s the one who should be keeping Talspra busy.”

“That’s-“ Kayla started to say something, but I cut her off.

“I was just getting the rest of that conversation out of the way so I can tell you that we’re about to enter her hunting grounds now.”

We stopped at a threshold in the forest. Just like we saw when we entered Etson National Forest via the road, we stood at the line between natural forest and trees planted with alley cropping. Trees set up in straight, diagonal rows for as far as the eye could see were in front of us. The ground was covered in bushes, leaves, and other detritus. From here, I could already see three traps. I knew there were many more.

“You two go first, and I’ll keep Corwin near me where it’s safe,” I said, waving the dog over after he perked up from hearing his name. I kept my hand on the scarf he still wore. “Keep an eye out for traps, and I’ll try to warn you if I think you don’t see them.”

“Roger that, boss,” Jeff said as he stepped forward. I used Pull on the back of his shirt, causing him to stumble. He turned around and looked at me.

Pointing to the ground, I used Drop on the dark string hidden in the dead leaves. A loud thunk came out of the trees above us as three heavy iron spears dropped into the earth where Jeff would have been if he kept going. Walking forward, I Pulled the three spears out of the ground and put them in my inventory before looking back at Jeff and Kayla. “Let’s try attempt number two, eh?”