NOVEL NEXT Chapter 12 - Stupid Lucky
The Seconds-Over achievements gleamed like stickers, and I craved them.
>>><<<
[New Achievement: Barking up the Right Tree: You lucky fool, you found the one and only tree in the entire forest that would get mad at you with a guardian inside it. The tree on your left was a lot nicer, but you wouldn't have gotten this award! You destroyed a legendary monster.
Reward: You are better at finding clues right under your pointy nose. New title granted: Your Bark is worse than your bite.]
[New Achievement: Tangled mess: You couldn't get the knots out of those roots with a comb. They kept wrapping around you, trying to strangle you.
Reward: You're better with a frying pan. You can also equip this as a title.]
>>><<<
I put on the new title, and it looked like a tiny blonde hairball above my head. It glistened with a tiny pixel effect to make it even more ghastly looking. The bark was a lot better looking, simple text in brown lettering, like the bark that covered Lady Branchelot's skin.
"That's pretty cool guys," I remarked and noticed Naiad put the same one on. "You both earned them."
I put Triangle down and noticed he didn't grab a new title. I gave him a gentle hug.
"Any clues for what the class might be? I got nothing." I revealed.
"Not really." Naiad reported, "can we stop now?"
I know they were done for the night, but I still needed more information on where we should go first. I didn't want to jump into another boss fight randomly unprepared. We had to communicate our quests better so I could plan accordingly, and to keep us safe until we found a constant healing situation.
[Guild Chat]
[Boulder: Hey, any of you ever heard of Jaguar of Chiliam fighting class?]
[CheezWiz: Nah. I'll dig around though, sounds animalistic.]
[Naiad: Any clue what kind of blessing we get by helping?]
[CheezWiz: Shut the front door! Is it a deity or demon blessing??]
[Naiad: It doesn't say. Only that I'll end up with one, no matter what.]
[CheezWiz: Did you guys get a legendary quest?]
[Boulder: I did. Trying to figure out everything.]
[CheezWiz: Man, wish I'd been there to help you out. You've got to stream this! Then I can help you look for clues and solving the mystery. Or if I blow up and die again, maybe spawn there and start the quest. Or at least, start looking for one around here…]
CheezWiz continued talking and his hype got my heart going. I loved streaming back in my college days. Beth let me keep the equipment when we moved, just in case I got back into it again. It was outdated, but it would still work. I'd be willing to put in the effort in order to get feedback from the Seconds-Over community. It was a popular game. There had to be someone out there with knowledge about the Root and Seeds of the Problem quest.
I responded to CheezWiz letting him know what a good idea that was. Thinking about the high from upcoming battles had me hopping on my feet. I hadn't even put the new stat points from leveling in yet. It would be a waste to use them now without knowing the advantages that Jaguar of Chiliam class gave.
We had to log off so I could dig around in the forums. We might need to go back to the forest immediately, or gather supplies, or get clues, or…
I cleared my throat and took a deep breath to slow my racing thoughts. I had to do this one step at a time and with a plan once I had more information. Or else we would end up in a boss battle without a shield again.
"You're right Naiad. Let's all log off and gather here again tomorrow," I joined in with them.
With one hand on Triangle to balance him on my shoulders, I pulled out the camping gear from my inventory and we walked along the river edge, next to the burned down Clingeo Grove.
Naiad took the camping gear from my hand and skipped ahead, stopping inches from the dirty water. "It says this is the safe zone," she blurted out.
"Wait until we are next to you until you trigger the spell," I reminded her.
Once together, she was hopping about, more excited than a moment ago. She pulled the tab on the small camping tin container, and a white perimeter circle bloomed out from her and around us. It was about five feet wide, making us shoulder to shoulder.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
>>><<<
[System: You are now in a safe zone level 1. This will only give you protection against monsters and players while logged out. You must log out in the next twenty seconds or receive a penalty speed debuff of 50%.]
>>><<<
Naiad whined, "That's all it is? Not even a campfire or tents? I want a better one."
I laughed, "Log out and let's get to bed. We'll be back tomorrow."
Tomorrow was going to be the start of this legendary adventure.
---
An empty plate sat on the living room carpet while my dog Ghost cleaned up the last of the crumbs from my ginger snap cookies. Elaine and Triston ate all of Beth's cookies, excited to know about her secret stash, swearing to never go into the cookie stash without me knowing and agreeing to hold off using their remaining stat points.
I was not a parent above bribery, especially when it would help us succeed.
I had multiple lists in front of me. One was for shopping in Seconds-Over, and another for reality. While fiddling with the plan for the game and how to re-specialize our team, I had another back-up plan of making sure I bought two extra boxes of cookies, along with my favorite ginger snaps. My own personal stash was getting low. Putting everything in front of me helped me see the best path to getting to the end goal.
Naiad would stay range damage since it was reliable, and I didn't want to mess with her class quest as is. It's what she picked out. We were going to be busy with my new class quest and Triangle's new one, to keep him away from his bombs. Tomorrow we could finish Naiad's and look for an NPC that could teach healing and buffing spells. Something to interest Triangle. Only one day, maybe two of their side quests, then it be a full focus on Root and Seeds of the Problem.
With the plate licked clean, my Great Pyrenees dog hopped up on the couch next to me and rested his head on my lap. While I scrolled through my device, I patted his head.
A game guide talked about the surrounding region of Fanamel. The recommended level for Peaceful Prairie was at least nine, which was my current level. We got lucky, stupid lucky, that we didn't get sent to separate continents with our deaths. My obsession to reach end game almost cost us. Most guardians were above level hundred, how we found the only broken one... was stupid luck. Triangle was our lucky charm.
I put the phone down to rub the bridge of my nose to relieve the tension from researching. It was hours past my bedtime and the dark of the night engulfed the house since I forgot to turn on any lights in the living room. Ghost suddenly jumped off my lap and walked to the hallway toward the front door. Beth was home.
I dove and grabbed the plate on the ground and rushed it over to the sink, balancing it on top of the bowls from this morning. According to the clock, those were now yesterday's breakfast.
Beth stumbled in on her high-heels and did her daily routine, giving me enough time to tidy the scattered papers on the kitchen table. She always took off her shoes and organized the other pairs that sprawled across the hallway. I heard her pet on Ghost and the collar jingling from the scratches.
"Oh, what is this?" she inquired to Ghost, but didn't expand further.
Racing her coming around the corner, I opened up the dishwasher and grabbed the nearest stack of dirty silverware in the sink, to learn the machine was full of clean dishes. The dirty forks and spoons clattered back into the sink.
"Blaine? What are you doing up?" Concern filled Beth's voice. "It's late. Are you going to get the kids to school in the morning?"
Stacking the plates first, I reached over the counter to put them away. "I'll be fine. You're the one who should hurry off to bed to get some sleep."
"I got to do my share of the chores for the house, too." She placed a piece of paper on the table, signed it, put it back on the shoe bench in the hallway before walking over to yank out the silverware tray and start unloading.
"How are Tristan and Elaine?" she inquired, trying to stir a conversation between us.
Studying her, I could see how frustration led her to rub the make-up around her eyes throughout the day. Despite wearing her blue-tinted glasses to help her look at screens all day long, the weariness of the day had caused bags to form under her eyes. While her hair remained pristine, the rest of her appearance became ruffled from the multiple meetings she suffered through. Juggling a demanding career as a professional lawyer and maintaining a polished image left her feeling overwhelmed. I could tell she just wanted to go to the bed and crash.
"They're great. Elaine talked to her friends a lot today from what I can tell, and Tristan told me some story about sheep."
"Ah." Beth said, her mind already wandering and not engaged. "Were you able to fix the leak in the children's bathroom?"
"Nah, didn't have a chance. But I'll empty the bucket before bed. Was researching something." I didn't need to give her more stress.
The leak in the bathroom sink had been going on for a few days and throwing plumber's tape on did not solve the problem. It wasn't destroying the house yet. I could fix it later once we got the quest done.
"I get that," she sighed.
Beth straightened the spoons, stacking them neatly in the drawer. It was the bit of control she could have in the chaotic household. I hated seeing her like this, distant and worn.
"Seriously, go to bed. These dishes aren't going to grow limbs and ruin the house."
Beth nodded and turned to leave, but I grabbed her hand gently to tell her, "Hey, I miss you, but know I love and appreciate everything you do. I'll sleep with the dog tonight on the couch. Enjoy the full bed."
I gave her a kiss, her lips feeling dry, and watched the lawyer wander off to the only place of refuge, her bed.
"Um," Beth paused, rubbing her head and turning to look back at me in the dim hallway, "Elaine asked me something today, but I told her to talk to you. Something about camping? You used to do that with your Uncle Rick, right?"
"Yeah. I've an idea what's it about. Don't you worry. Everything is great."
Beth smiled, but she didn't have the strength to let it fill her face. She turned down the hallway and wandered off to bed.
Lying to Beth felt like being on trial with the lawyer. It never felt good and easily scrutinized. I wanted her advice on Elaine's misbehavior, also I should fix that sink soon so it didn't bother her or the kids anymore. Calling a plumber was too expensive, and Uncle Rick would know how to deal with both problems. He was more a parent to me than my mom was while running his plumbing business.
Ghost sensed he was going to have a sleeping mate instead of his crate, walked over to the couch and stole a corner. My eyes were suffering from the drain of staring at the screen, plus the lack of sleep. The sound of water running for Beth's shower and the dishwasher in the nearby kitchen was the ambient noise I needed to knock me out to sleep, along with a warm seventy-pound dog on my feet.