A group of scaled creatures charged fearlessly into the dark brush, the light orbs hanging from each of their waists brightly illuminating their path. Making no attempts to conceal their presence, their weapons rattled loudly against the scraps of patchwork armor adorning their bodies.
Their breaths ran ragged, but they continued to press on with haste as they approached their destination.
Wide swathes of the forest had been completely incinerated or uprooted, leaving only barren ground. Thick, blue sap leaked out of a terrible gash torn into one of the Monoliths, ancient trees that served as the very foundation of the Canopy’s all-encompassing cover. The pungent smell of ozone filled the air, as if lightning had recently struck the area.
A strange silence filled their surroundings. The persistent chirps of the insects had vanished, and all the lesser creatures had scurried back into their burrows.
Nevertheless, the creatures remained undeterred. Flecks of spittle flew from their forked tongues in excitement, as if the surrounding carnage had only renewed their vigor.
Upon approaching a small thicket of trees, their pace slowed and they began to split from each other. One by one, they leapt to separate vantage points in the high branches.
Soon, they had formed a loose encirclement of the area. Each of them stood roughly fifty meters from the other as they drew their bows in a smooth, practiced motion. The arrows they nocked varied significantly in size and colors.
Their bodies briefly glowed as several auxiliary abilities were activated, empowering them.
Having completed their preparations, they nodded to each other.
In unison, the tightly wound bowstrings were released, sending a flock of arrows hurtling towards the small thicket.
Boom!
A series of colorful explosions blanketed every inch of the area. Various additional effects were also triggered as a noxious cloud of gas arose along with blinding flashes of light.
Reaching for their quivers, they swiftly reloaded and fired once more.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Their barrage ceased only when a thick, choking fog of gas several meters tall had formed. With the thicket now completely obscured, they waited with bated breath.
The fog began to slowly dissipate yet no signs of movement could be seen within. The creatures left their vantage points in the trees and regrouped on the forest floor.
One of them softly murmured to another.
“Should we fire another round?”
Shaking their head, its companion responded.
“There was enough gas in there to knock even a Tier 4 out. Plus, my ability makes debilitating effects even more potent. If they’re not asleep, they’re definitely blinded from all the Exalight arrows. They probably didn’t even know what hit them.”
“Alright. It’s best we conserve our ammo then.”
The group of a dozen otherworlders continued to quietly wait for several more minutes. Their bodies were taut and poised, ready to strike at a moment’s notice.
Soon, the dense fog had completely vanished.
The creatures sheathed their bows and equipped a variety of blades and axes. Emboldened by their ambush, they dashed forward as one without hesitation into the thicket.
“Remember, don’t kill any of them until we verify which one’s my Nemesis!”
Within moments, they reached the Nemesis marker’s position but suddenly, they paused.
Instead of finding a group of unconscious otherworlders, they beheld a rather strange sight.
A rather rickety, shoddily made wooden stall with various decorative signs had been built on top of a boulder. Its legs wobbled precariously with the wind, and it seemed as if it could collapse at any moment. The remains of previous failed construction attempts could be seen lying scattered about the surroundings.
Unknown squiggly lines had been crudely carved into the signs hanging about but their Systems soon deciphered the foreign language.
“Degenerates United, LLC”
“Bellona’s number one rated Nemesis boosting service.”
“Customer satisfaction guaranteed! Scammers will be shot on sight!”
“Only 50,000 points! Discounts available if body parts are offered.”
“Customer Review (Real): Before I found this service, I was a deadbeat loser with no future. Now, I have four wives and three hundred kids! My mom brags about me to all her friends, and my Phalara even grew an extra six inches! Thanks Degenerates United!”
Their fighting spirits now slightly deflated, the group of otherworlders stood there silently for a few moments in utter confusion.
“What the hell is this thing? Nemesis boosting service?”
“Who knows. More importantly, where’s the targ-”
Swoosh!
A flurry of shurikens suddenly flew in and struck the ground near their feet. Clusters of thick ice instantly formed and encased their legs.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Now unable to escape, the panicked otherworlders hacked and sawed away at the ice desperately. Before they could free themselves however, the ground completely collapsed underneath them into a giant pit.
Tumbling helplessly into the earth, they found themselves entangled in a thick, sticky web that completely coated the walls and floor. The more they struggled, the tighter the fibrous strands became. Terrified screams and cries echoed loudly through the air.
The group of otherworlders diverted their efforts to freeing themselves of the silken threads instead, temporarily setting their frozen legs aside.
“Help me out over here! My arm’s stuck and I can’t move it!”
“I can’t see! I can’t see! It’s all in my eyes!”
“Give me a moment, I’ll help cut you free soo- what is that?”
A small tentacle popped out of the ground and cheerily waved, as if saying hello. It was unlike anything they had ever seen before, as it bizarrely possessed a pair of eyes and ears.
The tentacle winked as a small opening formed in its flesh. A familiar gas began to spew from its “mouth” and fill the pit.
“Hey, isn’t that the same gas we just shot from our arrows?”
“Damn, I think it is! Don’t breathe any in!”
The otherworlders attempted to hold their breaths for as long as possible, but the stream of gas seemed to pour out endlessly. One by one, they began to succumb to its effects.
Finally, all but one of them had fallen unconscious. Thanks to the effect of its ring, it barely managed to retain its senses. However, it was only able to feebly lie there, too weak to even raise its head.
After what felt like an eternity, it felt something slowly dragging it across the floor. Its vision was too blurred and indistinct to see what was going on or who was pulling it.
Abruptly, its head tilted back and it felt a change in slope; it was being taken deeper underground.
Behind, it could hear the soft rustles of its companions being moved as well. It desperately tried to raise its arms, but they remained heavy as lead. A cold fear gripped its heart and it began to curse their overconfidence.
Lower and lower it went, as it seemed to be moving through what vaguely appeared to be a tunnel. Finally, it stopped and a pair of voices could be heard.
“We’ve brought them all. Where do you want us to put them?”
A bright voice replied happily.
“Nice work as usual. Just leave them over there in the corner, I’ll handle them soon. Might have to expand this place, we’re starting to run out of space. This is what, the fourth time someone’s tried the sleeping gas trick on us?”
“Just about. It’s beginning to get a little old, to tell the truth. By the way, you have another customer arriving soon. Maybe change some of those ridiculous signs and fix up that crappy stall, so they don’t get scared away like last time.”
“Screw you! Do you know how many hours I spent carefully making those-”
“Hold on, this one’s still awake.”
The otherworlder’s breath caught in its throat and it hurriedly closed its eyes, attempting to pretend to be asleep.
Shik!
A sharp pain suddenly pierced its thigh, as a wriggling object entered its body and began injecting an unknown liquid. The drowsiness and blurred vision vanished, and strength returned to its limbs.
Now wide awake and clear headed, it found itself in a dimly lit, spacious cavern. Various amenities, including a table and a bed, lay about the middle. A large bin filled with random pieces of equipment had been tossed carelessly to the side.
Disturbingly, multiple different shades of blood deeply stained the floor, creating a nauseating stench. Even worse, several heads had been planted in the ground in a gruesome display.
However, upon closer inspection, the heads appeared to still be alive, with vacant gazes and drooling mouths.
“Had enough of a look yet?”
A grotesque, blue skinned figure nearly four meters tall stood in front of it. It gestured broadly with its six arms as it withdrew the tentacle that had been inserted inside the creature.
“Welcome to my humble abode. We’re a little overbooked right now, so I’ll try to get you guys in and out as fast as possible.”
The otherworlder stammered, “Wha-wha-what are you going to do to us? What’s happening?”
As it spoke, it eyed the planted heads in the corner of its vision.
Noticing its gaze, the figure’s disproportionally small head chuckled.
“No need to worry. Those are our VIP tenants, and they’ve been reserved already. You guys aren’t a Tier 4 race, so you have nothing to fear.”
The figure continued speaking.
“But, you and your friends did come to kill us. I’m a nice guy though, so I’ll just take your group’s Nemesis and send the rest of you on your way. I’ll be also taking some of your points and equipment, and then we’ll call it even. Sound good?”
As it spoke, it pressed a thick, chitinous shell to its backside and poured a potion over it. The shell quickly fused to its body and became one.
The otherworlder watched in horror and fascination as the blue monster then cut open its abdomen and inserted a large, wrinkled brain. With a slight frown, the monster closed its eyes and tightly pursed its lips.
Its entire body tensed up and beads of sweat rolled down its forehead, as if it were fighting an intense mental battle. The monster clenched its fists and began pounding the floor, creating a deep depression in the solid rock.
After a few minutes, its rampage subsided and it opened its eyes once more.
A beastman who had been standing nearby asked in a low tone.
“Are you alright Adun?”
“I’m fine. Nothing I can’t handle. This one was a bit of a fighter though.”
The beastman nodded and said, “Ok, then I’m going to take the Nemesis over to the others. Don’t forget about the buyer.”
He then vanished into one of the tunnels with one of the scaled creatures slung over his shoulder.
The monster returned its attention to the terrified otherworlder.
“Now then, my friend, where were we?”
The otherworlder blubbered and cried as it begged, “Please don’t cut our heads off. I’ll do anything! Please!”
The monster frowned as it spoke.
“Didn’t I just say I was only going to kill your group’s Nemesis? I swear, nobody pays attention these days. Besides, those heads aren’t even cut off, they’re just buried in the dirt.”
“Wha-what are you planning on doing with them?”
“They’re waiting to be sold to their Nemeses at a very reasonable price. All of them are from Tier 4 worlds, so I can’t afford to let them go like you guys. There are some.... hostilities between me and all the Tier 4 races.”
The otherworlder remained quiet for a moment before replying.
“So how much are you going to take from us then, before you let us go?”
“I figure 2000 points each is fair for your lives, considering that’s how much I’d get if I really did kill you. I’ll also be taking a single piece of equipment or body part from everyone, whichever is preferred.”
The otherworlder then said, “Aren’t you worried that we’re going to come back and take revenge? Honestly, it’s hard to believe you’re going to set us free.”
The monster broadly grinned as it replied, “I trust that you guys won’t be so foolish as to try something like that. If you do though, just know that there won’t be any mercy the second time around.”
Slowly nodding, the otherworlder spoke.
“Ok then, wake the rest of my companions up and we’ll give you what you want.”
“Hold on, I need to finish some things up here first, and then I’ll collect your generous donations to our company. For now, go back to sleep.”
A tentacle stretched out and pierced the otherworlder’s thigh again, injecting a sedative directly into its bloodstream.
As the world faded to black, the otherworlder thought to itself.
We really got scammed this time.
