The World Which Is

Chapter 27

"Don't they always?" I ask.

"It's why you're going to want to buy them in bulk and get a larger quiver. Two treens is the minimum you want when you get your own."

We're silent as we walk beside the crawling cart. I imagine I can feel the coming attack. That any minute, there's going to be a system message announcing the start of the battle.

Instead, it's the sound of trees crashing down that announces it. It's too loud to be only one, even as large as trees have to get deeper in the forest.

Daz sighs. "A treen we're dealing with Stogers again."

"That's not a bet," Georges replies, "since they're what's always in this area."

"You'd think there would be less of them at this point, considering how many we have to kill each time." More trees come crashing down. This time, I can see those in front shudder in reaction.

"That's true only if the system isn't making them reproduce faster," Helen says. "Which we all know it does. The wilder a place, the faster it happens. Drivers! Take cover!"

Max grabs and pulls me to the front of the next cart as more trees crash down; I can feel it in the ground now. He hooks his quiver, so it hangs at hip height. He points to the left of it. "Stand there and take your time. The others will push them back when they break through the tree line. What you want is to max out your accuracy." He grins. "Get ready for a solid boost in your skill. This isn't going to be fast."

"About accuracy? What is the max I can take it to?"

"Technically, there is no maximum. Each second you take boosts it, but you want to shoot those bastards before they get through my friends, so five to six seconds is what I advise. Even at your skill and attributes, it's going to make each shot count."

I nod and trees fall into the front ones, bringing those down with them. Behind is a long stretch of downed trees, broken low, and beings...

Monsters...

Stoger, Level 2

Stogers are large creatures evolved from docile earth elementals into being with a vicious hatred for anything not made of the same material as them.

Perception Check Failed

The one I'm looking at is maybe half my height, but nearly as broad, and it looks to be made of stone. There are a lot of them, but also a lot of larger ones.

Stoger, Level 5

Stogers are large creatures evolved from docile earth elementals into being with a vicious hatred for anything not made of the same material as them.

Perception Check Failed

And four fu—

Stoger, Level 23

Stogers are large creatures evolved from docile earth elementals into being with a vicious hatred for anything not made of the same material as them.

Perception Check Failed

—giant ones at the back.

"Shoot," Max orders, loosing arrows, and I take one from the quiver and aim.

Even with that, my first three miss, well the Stoger I was aiming for. There's so many of them, even those hits something. My fourth one hits my intended target, then motion out the corner of my eye makes me look.

Chuck is running along the carts, a metal staff in hand, Silver at his side. Instead of the harness, or the jacket and jeans I've seen him in, The leather armor is covered with metal plates. He stops halfway between us and the fighting, then looks over his shoulder in our direction.