"What do we need to do there?" Leo asked.
"We need to bring something back," I said, trying to bring back the images planted in our heads by the goddess. "A flower. A single blue lotus flower on the top of a snowy mountain."
"That's..." Leo started, and I eyed him with a look of understanding.
I knew we had to do this, but I wasn't completely unaware how crazy of a quest it sounded. Not that I didn't believe a flower would be there in the middle of a snow-covered icy mountain top, but it was hard to believe that this was the end result of the real quest Louie and myself would have to go through.
"It will be hard," I said, as the undine led us down a long set of spiral steps, "but I couldn't have found a better party to do this with."
"Damn right, lad," Rory bellowed, his voice booming between the stone walls around us.
We climbed down the stairs for a long while, turning in many circles as each step brought us closer to a place more humid and cold than the surface level of the palace. Just as I was beginning to think it looked quite a lot like an actual dungeon, our undine guide stepped off the stairs and into a chamber filled with paths leading to shimmering portals. Their surfaces looked liquid, but we couldn't see anything on the other side.
"This is the one you want to take," the undine said, pointed a finger toward one of the portals.
"Is it safe?" I asked, before stepping in front of it.
"Does it matter?" came the reply, just as I touched the portal and was immediately sucked into it.
The sun had was bright red and shining directly in my eyes. For a moment I couldn't tell where I was standing. The ground beneath my feet was shaking and it looked like I was in the middle of a canyon void of any vegetation.
"What's that sound?" Louie asked, as soon as he appeared behind me.
I turned around just in time to see Rory and Leo appear out of thin air.
"What's up with ye, half-Celt?" Rory asked when he saw me open my eyes wide with surprise.
"Fuck me," I muttered.
A couple hundred feet behind us was a charging pack of what looked like bison on steroids.
7
Hunting high and low
Name: Thundering Steppe Bison
Type: Beast
Level: 17
Disposition : Passive
HP : 282/282
Physical Attack: 37
Magic Attack: 27
Speed: 109
Attack Range: Melee
XP : 505
Description : This animal is a beast of burden in many realms, used for the transfer of heavy cargo. It is a peaceful mammal but its sheer size means it can prove extremely dangerous if cornered or pressed for survival.
Their horns were as long as my arms and as thick as Rory's. And there were hundreds of them, perhaps even thousands--there appeared to be no end to the sea of beasts that was coming at us from around a turn in the canyon.
"Run!" I said and sprinted toward a rock that would give me a better vantage point.
"Fucking hells," Rory said and stood in front of Louie as if to protect him.
Louie was in absolutely no need of protection though. He immediately cast his telekinesis spell and started levitating high above the dwarf. He'd had exactly the same idea as me, getting up as high as he could so he'd be able to get a better view of the terrain.
Leo on the other hand, not being able to fly away, prepared himself for battle. I was surprised to see him retrieve a sword and shield from his inventory rather than his usual staff. I was under the impression that since he was a spellcaster, equipping a shield would make little difference during battle, but perhaps the small defense bonus was worth the loss in magic attack?
"Do ye see anything, lad?" Rory asked and I brought my hand up above my eyes, desperately trying to see despite the bright red sun shining in them.
I scanned the dry, rocky formations in front of us but could see no nook, no cave or hole in the canyon walls that would fit the four of us and protect us from the mindless hoard galloping toward us.
So this is how Mufasa felt.
"Shit!" I shouted. "Louie, what about you?"
I noticed he was now looking in the opposite direction I was, scanning the ground behind us.
"Run back," he said and dived toward the incoming sea of monster-sized bison.
Without even thinking about what he might have seen, both Rory and I rushed back. Leo, adhering to logic and the instinct to survive, stayed where he was and just looked at us, stunned. After all, it did look like we were rushing to our deaths.
"Move it, elf!" Rory shouted.
I grabbed him by his coat, trying to pull him along with us.
Leo said something under his breath and reluctantly ran behind us. When I looked forward again, Louie had almost reached the ground a few stretches away from us, and was heading into a small crevice. The opening was large enough for us to climb down into but not so wide that the bison would be unable to jump over. It was the perfect place to wait out the stampede.
Louie had already catapulted himself into the opening and moved to a corner when I reached it and was about to jump in. I turned around and saw Rory sprinting with all his might, beard rings jingling as he dashed. Leo was behind him, and I could only watch as he stepped on a small rock with his left foot and his ankle momentarily turned to an impossible angle. He managed to pull his leg back fast enough to prevent himself from falling over but the next time he stepped on it, it buckled and he hit the rocky ground.
"Fuck!" I shouted and sprinted back. "Rory, hold them."
"Are ye crazy, half-Celt?" the dwarf retorted, but took out his war
