NOVEL NEXT Chapter 95: Trees are monkey food, not a skill holder!
The Candy Dragon Queen, still teetering, brought the teacup closer to her snout as she took a delicate sniff. "You changed the properties of my Earl Grey. It tastes like licorice root now, which is undeniably worse. Who exactly is responsible for this interdimensional rudeness? You…" She stared at Lena. "Or the ugly human?"
The robed mage recoiled dramatically. His four-gloved hand flew to his chest, and one glove flew away from it. His voice, usually so graveled, took on a dramatically aggrieved tone. "Moi?! Ugly human? Mais non! Such an affront! My dear Queen, my very essence is an ode to refined shadows! I assure you, my apprentice's attempts at unlightening the foliage are entirely her own clumsy endeavors. I merely guided her."
Lena's eyes widened as she waved her hand around in what seemed to be an apologizing gesture. "Oh! Oh my goodness! I am so incredibly sorry, your Majesty! I didn't mean to summon you! I was just trying to make a weed… a little less green!"
Her tiny wand twitched with each emphatic apology.
No, Lena! Put the wand down first! You're going to cast more stupid spells!
Blorbo tried to wobble to warn her. "No, cabbage head, no! Not ze—" the mage also shrieked.
But it was too late.
With a squishy splat, a hulking creature twice the size of Lena materialized from the shimmering green light. It was a grotesque mosaic of various gummy bear colors, bulging with hardened sugar muscle. Its eyes were made of twin black jelly beans, while in one massive, sticky fist, it clutched a crudely sharpened lollipop stick, dripping with melted caramel.
"A Gummy Bear Berserker? Who let it here?" The Dragon Queen roared, knowing full well Lena let it here.
"It was me… hehe…" Lena waved at the queen shyly.
"You just summoned a foot soldier from my current invasion?!" The queen furrowed her brow, then her eyes turned from annoyance to amusement, then finally to delight. "You surely must be a one-of-a-kind magical talent that the realms have not seen in millennia!"
"Such is to be expected from my student that I have very closely taught!" The robed mage proudly declared.
The Gummy Bear roared. It punched a bush next to it for no particular reason, obliterating said bush. All the leaves stuck to its sugary-coated fist.
Guys… I think there's something we need to take care of first…
Then, a new quest showed up.
[New Quest: Sticky Situation]
Objective: Assist Lena in defeating the Gummy Bear Berserker. Ensure Lena lands the final blow.
Reward: +1 END, Basic-level Passive Skill: Carriage Boost (When carried by a human, all their stats are boosted by 1%).
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Warning: Carriage Boost is part of the Support Tree. To unlock the Support Tree and enable the skill, a payment of 50 CP is required.
Prerequisite: None
Failure: You lose a Level 1 skill at random.
Accept: Yes/No
What? You TAKE AWAY one of the skills I've worked so hard to earn just to give me a skill I CAN'T EVEN use yet? I don't have 50 CP! Why are we locking skills behind TREES now? Trees are monkey food, not a skill holder!
And you only give me a support skill after I've finished a support quest?! That makes absolutely no sense! Why couldn't I have had this before we jumped through a portal and summoned a sugar-fueled monster?
I'm not accepting this.
Blorbo clicked No, but the moment he could will himself to do so, the quest vanished, and a 'new' quest appeared.
[New Mandatory Quest: Sticky Situation]
Objective: Assist Lena in defeating the Gummy Bear Berserker. Ensure Lena lands the final blow.
Reward: +1 END, Basic-level Passive Skill: Carriage Boost (When carried by a human, all their stats are boosted by 1%).
Warning: Carriage Boost is part of the Support Tree. To unlock the Support Tree and enable the skill, a payment of 50 CP is required.
Prerequisite: None
Failure: You lose a Level 1 skill at random.
Accept: Yes/Yes (Automatically accepts in 2 seconds)
What? No! I… What! Arghh! No!
Quest Accepted.
The Gummy Bear Berserker, having successfully annihilated the bush, let out another terrifying roar that sounded like thunder if it was made of candy wrapper, its jelly-bean eyes swiveling to locate its next target. It began lumbering towards Lena.
"Uh… Teacher… What do I do now?" Lena squeaked.
The robed mage adjusted his hood. "Ah, yes, cabbage mongress! Zis is… part of your training! An improvised examination in ze field!" He swept a hand dramatically towards the approaching creature. "Consider zis your first solo quest into ze unlighted arts of combat!"
What? She's only learned how to pick locks!
"Now, observe closely!" the mage declared, stepping slightly back, though not so far as to escape the looming threat entirely. He extended his three-gloved hand and muttered a rapid string of incantations. "Uyvsdi, Gvle!"
Purple-black energy swirled from his finger to around the Gummy Bear Berserker's feet. The creature stumbled slightly and moved more slowly.
"There! I have cast a Binding Shadow!" the mage announced victoriously as if he'd just parted a sea. "It will slightly reduce its momentum! Now, Lena! You must draw upon your inner reserves! You are on equal ground, no?"
The Gummy Bear Berserker roared again. It was now only a few paces from Lena. She frantically cast the Sleep Inducing Spell she'd learned, but it didn't work. It seemed like gummy bears didn't have a habit of sleeping.
The Candy Dragon Queen let out a long, put-upon sigh. "Disappointing. I had expected more," Then she launched herself into the air. Her candy-colored scales caught the little light that could pass through the overarching Umbral Cloak, creating a dazzling display as she soared gracefully upwards, disappearing into the stagnant, congealed smoke high above them.
What is she doing?
Then she dove down, straight at the berserker.