Chapter 55
The four of us stepped out of the coliseum and began our walk to the edge of the island so we could fly down to the city far below. Honestly I am not looking forward to carrying Vanilla, she’s still kind of creeping me out with that wide smile that just never seems to leave her face.
“So we’re going to the top of the tree?” Domitor asked with a frown.
“Denmor,” Floria interjected. “The tree's name is Denmor.”
“Eh yeah, we’re going to the top of Denmor to get into those labs and figure out how to get home,” I replied as I sighed, because I just knew this wasn’t going to be simple.
Quest accepted! ‘Rank S+: Reach the labs at the peak of Denmor!’
Quest accepted! ‘Rank X: Return home!”
… what the fuck is a Rank X?
“Milestone Quest,” Rosemary chimed in as she walked beside me. “Think of them as the main storyline quest in a video game.”
‘I don’t play video games,’ I thought to her in annoyance, as she keeps trying to use games as a reference for everything.
“Okay, then think of it as the main goal of each of the sessions of Dragon Ball Z. They work through each session with one goal in mind, and that’s what a Milestone Quest is.”
‘Huh, okay I get it now,’ I thought as I nodded a bit. ‘In the future just use DBZ as a reference point, it’s so much easier to understand.’
She snickered at me a bit but didn’t let me in on what was so funny. “Anyways, a Milestone Quest has a quest reward and award between one hundred and two hundred skill points.”
I stumbled a little when I heard this. That’s a lot of points!
“Yes it is!” She laughed. “Shayla likes big numbers?”
‘I do, they-‘ I narrowed my eyes at her as I realized she was making fun of me. ‘Assfucker.’
We still had a bit more walking to go before we reached the edge, and the group was mostly quiet outside of Floria bugging Vanilla. Who seemed to be doing her best to keep her eyes forward and not react to her.
So I decided to check over the stuff I unlocked after completing that Rank S+ quest.
First I decided to check out the item shop and see about getting something fucking cool.
“Please, just do this one thing for me,” Rosemary begged as she leaned next to me. “Get a real weapon as a backup, just in case.”
I shook my head, ‘I’m not-‘
“You don’t have to kill anyone, just have it in case a threat presents itself and you HAVE to save one of your friends.”
I scowled at her, not wanting to indulge the thought. But to be honest, she did have a point. If a non-sentient creature attacked us then I’d feel better having a real sword to kill it.
‘Fine,’ I conceded as I opened the weapons category and swiped over to the melee weapons. ‘Just something simple, though.’
“Then might I suggest a Bonding weapon?” She said as she pointed to a different menu. Upon pressing it I saw a different selection of weapons to appear. “They get stronger as you do, so they’re similar to an Ego weapon in that regard.”
‘Sweet.’ I scanned through the pictures of weapons, looking for one that spoke to me.
‘That one,’ I thought as I selected one of them.
“A longsword? Why not stay with the aesthetic we got going on?” She asked, a bit pouty.
‘What aesthetic?’ I asked dumbly, causing her to groan.
“This is all lost on you, isn’t it?”
‘What?’
“I rest my case,” she said, chuckling a bit as she faded away.
I checked my Personal Inventory and saw that the new sword was waiting there for me. Selecting it caused it to appear on my hip, with Jessie Stabby’s handle sticking out above the longsword making it easier to grab the wooden sword. Both swords sat perfectly on my left hip.
‘I shall name you… uh…’ I rubbed my neck, thinking hard. ‘... Ah! Sir Stabsalot!’
The Longsword glowed for a second as it accepted the name it’d been given.
Well now that that’s sorted, guess I should pick a new Passive Skill.
“Alright, this is another important choice,” Rosemary stressed from within my head. “Level ten passives only come once, and this is when you get to pick what you’ll be immune to.”
‘Seriously? That’s pretty bitchin’ at least,’ I thought as I looked the long list over, seeing some pretty cool ones.
“Now, there is one that is simply the best, and it’s what Loric and I wished we’d picked, it’s-”
I selected Electrical Immunity, since I hated getting shocked by that one asshole that worked for Rig. Plus my mom’s keep warning me about going out in lightning storms, so I’d like to get around that shit.
“... you fucking idiot,” Rosemary cursed as she appeared next to me, catching me off guard as I looked at her. “If you would just listen for a second and not just click things, you would have heard me telling you to pick Ego Immunity! It would’ve made it so no one else's Ego could affect you! That goes for all Soul based abilities! You fucking donkey!”
‘Geez, sorry,’ I frowned, not used to her being so… hostile and crude. That’s kinda my thing, she’s supposed to be the calm and collected one.
“Why can’t you just…” she trailed off and sighed, “I’m sorry, but you need to think before you act. It’s going to get you killed, or worse.”
‘What could be worse than dying?’ I asked as we all neared the edge of the island.
“So much,” she muttered as she faded away with a grim look on her face.
ooo000<^>000ooo
Louie jumped through the portal opening and landed inside of the Enforcer’s Order Hall, overjoyed to finally be allowed here.
“This is so cool!” he exclaimed while he ran around the room as Nova and the others stepped through the portal as well.
“Very… extravagant?” Nova said as she saw the high ceiling and bland decor.
“Trust me, it looks better in other parts of the Hall,” Roxxy assured her as they all watched Louie sprint around the room, barking at everything he saw.
“Two new Enforcer’s?! Amazing!” Luzzumi exclaimed as he rushed into the room, clapping his hands.
“Whoa! A Dwarf!” Louie barked as he ran over to the short man, bouncing around him.
“Ah! A talking Canis lupus familiaris with a human soul 'ithin it!” Luzzumi laughed as he reached down and patted the excited Louie.
“A what?” the little dog asked, looking confused.
“As entertaining as this is, we’re in a hurry,” Roxxy interrupted, walking up and bumping hoof to fist with Luzzumi.
“Of course!” the man said as he waved for them all to come forward, “I’ve resupplied the Enforcer’s Time Chamber just as requested.”
She gave a nod, then sighed as she looked at the excited Louie. “And I guess give him his Ego as well.”
“Yes!” Louie barked as his tail went crazy. “I want a super dope one!”
“I can nae control what you’ll get, but it’ll be exactly tha one ye need,” Luzzumi said as he stood before the little dog, reaching out his hand to place it over his head. He went through the process of unlocking Louie’s Ego.
“What’d I get?!” Louie barked, feeling a difference in his body.
“Huh, Pain Negation,” Luzzumi answered, causing Louie to cock his head. “You’re able ta negate all forms o' pain for yourself or others.”
“Cool, so I’m invulnerable now?!” Louie asked with a wide smile as he began to pull his knife out and stab himself.
“Whoa!” Luzzumi yelped as he snatched the knife from the little dog. “Ye be nae invulnerable, nor be ye more durable! Ye can just turn aff tha feeling o' pain so ye can take massive damage an' just keep on going, as long as your body be able ta move.”
“Oh… that’s not as useful,” Louie muttered, clearly not appreciating his new Ego. He then waved a paw at himself, “so what? I’m just a support guy now? I want to fight! And I can’t fight like this, or with this Ego!”
Bronwyn chuckled off to his side, causing him to look at her. “Oh little Louie, you’re looking at this all wrong.”
He barked at her while frowning, “does this dog body scream fighter to you? I was hoping to get some super amazing Ego that’d make up for this body. But now all I can do is stand on the sidelines and support you guys.”
“Not necessarily,” she said with a sly grin as she walked over and kneeled down next to him. “Let me ask you this; what fighting style are you interested in?”
Louie just looked at her, thinking back to his time on earth. A little smile appeared on his face as he leaned up and whispered into her ear.
“Really?” she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
“Yeah!” he barked happily.
“Alright then,” she said as she stood and began to walk for one of the hallways. “Give me some time, I believe I have a solution for your canine body problem.”
She stopped as she reached the hallway, looking back at him, “and I may be able to find you some teachers for that… fighting style.”
ooo000<^>000ooo
Domitor glided along as he watched Shayla fly around a bit aggressively, seeming to be trying to get Vanilla to react to her. It didn’t look like she was having any luck, as the Halwen just clung to her back and wasn’t having much of a reaction.
“I’m worried about her,” Floria muttered as she slowly unbraided his hair, like he’d asked.
“Which one?” He asked with a chuckle.
“Vanilla,” the short Kejtdra answered, not seeming to be in the mood to joke around. “This isn’t a normal breakdown. It’s like she’s been… reset.”
“Factory reset,” Domitor muttered, having thought the same thing after seeing how she’s been acting. “But I don’t get it. I know she was crushing on Shayla, but how could seeing… what she saw really affect her this badly?”
“I don’t really think it’s about you two,” she sighed, shaking her head. “It might’ve been the straw that broke the camel's back. I’ve been trying to get her to open back up again, but she just repeats crappy Cakehurst slogans. It’s like she’s a freaking doll or something.”
“Well you heard what Flavio said, something terrible must’ve happened to her in her past, and this could be a symptom of it. Basically PTSD.”
“You could be right with that PTSD crap,” she said as she playfully grabbed his neck. “You are too smart to be left alive, you must die.”
“Quite it,” he laughed as he shook her hands free. “I’ll drop you.”
“You wouldn’t drop little ol’ me, would ya?” she asked in a completely innocent voice.
“In a heartbeat,” he smirked as he looked over his shoulder at her, giving her a wink.
She chuckled and ruffled up his mane, getting it back to its normal style, “so I gots a question for you, Dommy.”
“I don’t like your questions,” he grumbled, watching as Shayla did a few barrel rolls.
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but why Shayla?” she asked carefully, fidgeting with his mane.
He flew in silence for a few moments, not sure how to answer that.
“It just… happened,” he finally answered.
“No, I mean… I guess I mean why her at all? I thought you two hated each other?”
Domitor let out a deep sigh, as he wasn’t sure of that either. He wasn’t really that good at talking about his own personal feelings, but something in this moment made him want to at least try too with Floria.
“I dunno,” he muttered as Shayla’s laughs could be heard from where they were, “my emotions have always been messed up, ever since I was a kid. I just don’t know how to react to anything. And when we were fighting in that hotel room, going all in on each other, it was the first time I’ve felt alive. Like, not a husk of a stallion just walking around doing what needs to be done. Then when we kissed…”
Floria patted his side as he went silent, giving him encouragement.
“When we kissed,” he continued after a moment, “I… felt something I’ve never felt before. And it made me… happy.”
She combed his mane with her claws, a small smile on her face, “made everything make sense, huh?”
“Yeah, I guess it did,” he said softly. “I know she’s probably the meanest, rudest, douchest, and most aggressive mare I’ve ever met, but underneath all that is… someone special.”
“I could add a few dozen adjectives to that list of yours,” she joked as she finished up fixing his mane.
“I think I’ve always had these feelings for her,” he admitted, “I’ve just not been able to process them correctly due to… my father.”
“Oh I get that shit,” she said as she patted his side again. “Look, if she makes you happy, then I’m happy. She’s a unique person, I’ll give her that. But now I gotta ask another question.”
“I’d rather you didn’t.”
“What was it like staring down at that muscled up woman as she-”
“STOP!” he yelled, taking off at a fast pace to shut her up as she laughed like a mad woman.
ooo000<^>000ooo
Later
Louie watched as everyone got ready to enter the Enforcer Time Chamber, whining loudly as Bronwyn had yet to return.
Just when everyone started to enter the chamber, he heard someone coming. His tail began to wage as he saw the woman enter the room and head straight for him.
“You are in luck, Louie,” she said as she held a strange rune covered item in her hand. “My friend Wyntir had one of these in his room.”
“What is it?!” he asked excitedly as she knelt before him.
“Well, you are under a very serious curse of some kind, but this is the single item in existence that can break a curse from the God’s. So I’m going to use it to change your form a bit,” she explained as she held the item between them.
“So I’ll be human again?” he asked, not sure how to feel about that.
“Oh no, your human form is probably gone forever,” she laughed, causing him to frown. “I’m not sure what form you will take on. Are you ready?”
“Just do it,” he said, standing on his little back legs, ready to be out of this little canine body.
She gave the item a squeeze and tossed it at him, where it hit him in the face and began to float right in front of him.
“What is it-”
He was cut off as it suddenly opened up and wrapped itself around his entire body, followed by a rainbow of colors exploding out of the cracks as it morphed around.
The woman stood up, watching as it began to grow in size, continuing till it was as tall as she was. A full six foot eight.
Finally the rune covered shell fell away, leaving everyone in the room a bit shocked.
“So? How do I look?” Louie asked as he stood there, eyes closed.
“How do I put this…” she began, but Dude walked up laughing.
“Bro, you look EXACTLY the same, just now you’re bipedal and shit. Oh and you got real hands now.”
Louie opened his eyes and looked himself over, very displeased with what he was seeing. He was still in a canine-like body, just now he had opposable thumbs. He was really tall, but lanky as hell. Skinner than Bronwyn even.
“I’m a bean pole!” he exclaimed, crossing his arms as he sighed. “Thanks, Bronwyn. This is at least better than being a normal dog.”
“That’s not all,” she said as she whistled loudly. “So, I tried to find some teachers for you, but no one wanted to help. So I put a call out, and only two people answered.”
Before he could ask who, he saw a middle aged man walk into the room, wearing workout clothes.
Louie’s eyes went wide as he saw who it was. “Coach?!”
“Luke Swain? My god boy, you’re a dog man!” the man exclaimed as he walked over, looking at Bronwyn, “you forgot to mention that in your post.”
She just chuckled, “I thought we’d have fixed that by now. But that didn’t work out as planned.”
“How did you get my highschool wrestling coach to come?!” Louie asked, eyes wide as he stared down at his former coach.
“I put a call out to anyone who’d listen, and he’s one of two to respond,” she explained as his coach looked him over.
“You’re nothing but skin and bone, Swain!”
“But… why would you help me, Coach Jones?” Louie asked in complete confusion.
“Simple, I was bored. The world of ‘The Big Lebowski’ actually gets boring after a while,” he said as he stood before the much taller Louie. “Besides, you were a good kid back then, before the Rapture kicked in.”
They shook hands as Louie looked at Bronwyn, “Who’s the second guy?”
At this she sighed loudly, “I’m not so sure about this one…”
Suddenly music began to play throughout the room, causing Louie to get excited.
“No fucking way!” he exclaimed as a man burst through the opening, doing a little dance as he yelled loudly.
“Wooooo! How you all doing out here?!” he bellowed as he moved towards Louie, who was having a fanboy moment.
“It’s John fucking Cena!” Louie all but screamed, causing the man to laugh as he came to a stop before him.
“And you must be the dog boy with cancer,” he said, giving him a salute. “Hell of a thing kid, but we’ll get you into fighting shape if it's the last thing I do.”
“Wait, I have cancer?!” Louie exclaimed, suddenly losing all excitement and becoming panicked.
“No, that was a lie. Sorry, he does not have cancer,” Bronwyn interjected before Louie had a melt down. “This was urgent and no one was answering the postings.”
“Oh, well…” John said awkwardly, looking around. “... well this is better than where I was before, so let’s just roll with the punches.”
Coach Jones didn’t look as impressed as everyone else, but kept it to himself.
“These two will help you get into fighting shape while we’re all in there,” Bronwyn explained as she crossed her arms. “I had Luz adjust the settings, so we’ll be in there two years, is this acceptable?”
“I have nowhere to be,” Coach Jones said with a shrug.
“We’ll only be gone a day in real time,” she added, getting a smile out of John.
“I’m always open to something new.”
Louie was still starstruck as he looked at the WWE superstar before him.
“Come on, dog boy, we need to discuss your new schedule and diet,” John said as he and Coach Jones began to walk for the Time Chamber door.
Louie looked at Bronwyn and gave her a thumbs up as he turned and ran after them.
Bronwyn just sighed, this was not how she pictured this going. She wasn’t so sure those two could turn Louie into the fighter he needed to be.