They stood in the chest-high water and looked at each other, the tension breaking as they all started laughing.
Everyone checked their health and Tess told the twins to each take a healing pill.
Cass looked at Zavier, then back at her. "I'm good," he said. "I'm only at 84%."
"I'm good too," Luna said.
Tess shot Zavier a frustrated look but swallowed her response.
"Awe, cute!" They heard Luna say and they followed her gaze. Penguins by the dozen were waddling out of the imitation caves and dropping into the water.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Zavier muttered just before the surface of the water iced over.
"Fucking murder penguins?" Zavier exclaimed as they rolled limply over the glass wall 20 minutes later. Cass was next, throwing the rod out ahead of him.
"At least we got these!" Luna held up a handful of small, perfect beads.
Item Name: Penguin's Pearl
Type: Alchemical Ingredient / Enhancement Item
Description: A rare and mystical pearl formed within the Frost Penguin. The Penguin's Pearl contains potent ice energy, making it highly sought after for its ability to imbue items with freeze effects or enhance cold-based alchemical concoctions.
Stats:
Elemental Affinity: Ice
If we survive this place it's going to be a treasure trove for us, Zavier thought. Luna slipped the pearls into one of the backpacks they carried and fastened it back over her shoulders. They moved away from the tank to rest on some tables near the entrance. The penguins hadn't been tough individually but they'd been fast as hell, and the frost attacks they used turned the water around them into a thick slush that made it hard to move. It wasn't an impediment to the penguins, though, since they slid through effortlessly to peck at them, taking painful divots out of their flesh.
Zavier looked at the giant map that was painted onto a huge slab of wood in front of them. It didn't look like it had been updated to the zoo's new dimensions so he hoped the paths were still useful, even if only for a reference.
"We could do desert world," Cass suggested. "Seems like it'd be mostly lone predators. Snakes, scorpions, that kind of thing."
"Ooohhh… I want to see what the butterflies turned into!" Luna exclaimed excitedly. She'd been mesmerized by the time she had been able to walk into a room full of butterflies, standing still so they could alight on her arms and shoulders.
Zavier checked out that part of the map and tapped his finger on the part that said "Beetles, Bugs, and Insects." "I've had enough beetles for one lifetime, but maybe we can check out the butterflies."
"What about the big cats?" Cass asked. "They're strong but there's only one of them per cage, usually."
Zavier turned when he heard Tess chuckling behind him. "What is it, Honey?"
"Oh nothing," she said, "you all just sound like you're planning a trip through the zoo on a regular day."
They smiled at that, Zavier turning back to the board. "We need to get stronger before we go after the big cats, maybe pick up a level or two along the way. Some extra gear would be great too, but we want to fill up as many rods as we can so that means packs or groups of animals. I don't want to use the rods with the bigger, lone animals because I'm betting they'll drop some pretty sweet loot."
He stepped to the side and traced a path down the board with his finger. "Meerkats, antelopes, hyenas, butterflies/bugs. That fills up six rods and pays our debt to the Bouchards. If we run into any other groups along the way we can take them out too. We kill more than needed to see if they drop any items we will need for the bigger fights. After that we go to the gorillas and big cats. Gorillas are tough, but the biggest threats in this place are the big cats, so we need to get there fully geared up."
"Cass, you wear one of the gloves and Luna, you wear the other. That'll boost both of your speeds."
"Sure you don't want one, dad?" Cass asked.
"Not yet. The first time I use something is when I'm the best at it, so I want to save it for when I really need it. I might be taking them from you when we get to the big cats."
Every step they took on the hard packed dirt raised a cloud of dust that clogged their nostrils and stung their eyes. Scattered patches of grass dotted the landscape around them and a myriad of holes leading down into darkness threatened to turn every step into a broken ankle.
It had been a frustrating walk through meerkat territory. The little bastards would be visible in the distance in large groups, but by the time they got anywhere near them they'd be gone, only for their paws to come slashing out of the dirt directly underneath their feet. They all had deep scratches and lacerations raked down their shins and Cass had already had to take a healing pill from the time they sliced his Achilles tendon. He had fallen forward with a scream of pain and a dozen arms had shot up through the dirt to rake his entire body, blood instantly pouring out of dozens of deep slashes. Individually they were the weakest things that the family had fought yet, but their guerilla tactics and ambushes were scarily effective if they could drop the victim to the ground.
Every method of killing these things was met with frustration. They were the ultimate escape artists even before the system, and that had only increased since. They might take out a single one as it popped out of the ground but the rest would immediately scatter to the labyrinthian burrows under the ground. The twins were slashing with the claws, Luna was firing freezing bolts into them from a distance, and Tess was stabbing Claw into the ground, but it all resulted in virtually no kills.
Zavier had had enough, a desperate idea forming. "Hey Luna, how many of those grenades did Madison give us?"
Luna dug through the pack and pulled one of them out. "Looks like six," she said and Zavier examined it.
Item Name: Arcane Pulse Grenade
Type (crafted): Explosive Device
Origin: Crafted by Madison Bouchard, Gadgeteer
Description: These small, handheld grenades harness the lightning-infused properties of the Arcane Scamperer. Upon detonation, they release a burst of electrical energy that can stun or incapacitate nearby enemies.
Special Abilities:
Lightning Burst: Releases a burst of electrical energy upon detonation, dealing lightning damage to all living things within a 5-foot radius.
"Give me one of them. I have a plan."
Zavier walked ahead of them, alone enough to attract their attention. He could feel the light trembling under the ground that meant they were digging upwards. Moments later small paws on thin arms flashed out of the ground and waved around, their sharp claws seeking his ankles and calves. He stepped out of the way but then let himself drop to the ground. "Oh no!" he cried loudly, "I've fallen and I can't get up!"
Before he had finished the sentence the claws were on him, at least a dozen of the creatures were reaching up through the dirt to tear into him. His mind flashed white with the pain but he remembered what he was supposed to be doing and activated the Arcane Pulse Grenade. A few agonizing seconds passed before the grenade went off. The pain from the meerkat swarm was forgotten as it was replaced with the much worse, much more debilitating Arcane Scamperer lightning.
Zavier woke up when the healing rush flowed through him, repairing the smoking patches of skin and deep, clean cuts. It didn't get him to 100% but he waved off the next, his cuts already scabbed over. "I'm okay," he choked, "don't waste it."
He pushed himself to a sitting position and saw that the hair on his arms was still smoking. He coughed again, actual smoke coming out of his lungs like a cartoon character. "Loot?" he coughed and Cass held up a glove proudly.
Item Name: Burrower's Gloves:
Type: Crafting / Construction Tool
Description: These gloves are made from the tough, flexible skin of meerkats, enhancing digging and burrowing abilities.
Active Abilities: These effects are triggered by the wearer. Ambush Strike: Increases the damage of attacks made immediately after emerging from burrow or cover by 20%. Passive Abilities: These effects occur automatically. Enhanced Digging: Allows the wearer to dig through soil and sand with increased speed and efficiency.
"Just about useless for us but Madison will love it," he said. "Anyway, I'm about done with these little assholes. You guys want to chase some antelopes?"
The antelopes, or, as the system called them, the Fleethoof Herd had been almost as frustrating as the meerkats. They traveled in herds of 10 - 15 which made sneaking up on these hyper-alert creatures almost impossible. When frightened, or if one was attacked, the rest would instantly launch into whichever direction they were facing, scattering every which way and traveling so fast it was impossible to keep up with them. If they were lucky they may take one down but the rest were gone in an instant. The only good side was that they never seemed inclined to attack. They were herbivores whose power set seemed to completely focus on escape.
"Guys, I think I'm slowing you down on this one. We're failing because we're trying to stay in a group."
"That's not true, dad," Luna objected but he waved it away. "It is what it is, no sense pretending. I'm out of ideas for these things, what do you guys think?"
They mulled it over, Tess speaking up. "I have a plan."
Tess, Luna, and Cass slipped forward as silently as they could, the Scamperer Coats helping them blend into the terrain. They weren't as invisible as they would have been in a forest, but the coats let them get close enough. Tess looked at the two and gave a nod before leaping forward in a flash, Claw sweeping across in a vicious arc. Two antelope heads dropped instantly and waves of fear spread outwards from Claw like a miasma, its effect so strong that it overpowered the antelopes' instinctual escape skills.
Before the ones at the edge of Claw's influence could activate their escape skills, the ones on Luna's side were already pelted with white gears of solid ice, the freezing effects from the penguins frosting over the hind legs of half a dozen of the antelopes before Tess had finished her swing. Cass had planted the spike and was sprinting in a straight line towards the center of the herd, his Boarcharge Boots launching him like a cannonball in a straight line through the animals. He held his shields straight forward on extended arms, the razored edges slicing through throats without even a tug. By the time he skidded to a stop he was outside the herd and there was a path of body parts sloughing off onto the ground he'd just run through.
Tess had continued slicing, taking out necks where she could and legs where she couldn't. It may have been cruel, but she was a predator in this moment and had no concerns of morality - she just didn't want anything escaping. Cass and Luna rushed to the frozen antelopes before they could thaw and used the Primal Claws to slash open the remaining throats.
In just under a minute their ambush had succeeded and they stood victorious, if bloody.