Chapter 13: Chapter 13 – Back To The Camp (Oriwynn Ruins Final)

I trudged back up the stairs almost entirely gasping for air. My legs wobbled, and it felt like I must have fractured a few bones. Nevertheless, I made it to the top and promptly dropped to the ground to rest my legs for a few moments.

Sparky and his buddies looked in my direction with a relieved look. They probably thought I had encountered something else in there. It had been well over an hour since I had dived back into that sea of darkness.

Now, the blanket of night had set in, making the forest almost pitch black but it was still a few shades lighter than the bowels of them ruins. The rain had thankfully backed off and from what I could see between the branches and leaves, it was a clear sky above, I could just about see the faint glistening of a star. One thing that didn’t change was the concerning sounds coming from within the cobweb forest. I had no doubt the black goo was up to no good in there, most likely trying to fuck with the minds of whatever creatures were nested there. None of us here had the energy to go in, and by the looks of it, survive another battle. Sure, I had some potions left, but they didn’t seem to have an effect on things such as hunger, sleep, or dehydration. If the system had stat bars for them, I knew they would all be nearing rock bottom by now.

I turned my attention to Sparky, who from the last time I had seen him, seemed to be doing a lot better. He was on all fours and just about moving at a normal gait… almost. He limped towards me and waited for a response while the others returned to their patrol of keeping their eyes and ears alert for suspicious activity.

“Hey, Sparky... I’m done with that place. I think we should get outta here before… you know… something else happens.” I said, motioning towards the cobwebs. “That black goo monster is still out there.”

Sparky’s eyes darted to the area before he turned to face me and nodded. He then waved his head to the side to signal me to lead the way, and he’d follow along with the others. As I took my first few steps towards the ridge, the same one I had used earlier to scout the area, Sparky grunted at the others to get a move on. The other wolves sprang into formation at the back while we climbed up.

Once we arrived at the ridge, Sparky motioned the spot where I was standing earlier and gave me that weird wolf chuffs again. He sure as hell knew that it was me who had tried to scan him earlier. Smart bastard! “Yeah, that was me. Sorry about that.” I grinned before patting the giant wolf on the back as he walked beside me.

His woman and child were both a few feet behind us hopping along sandwiched between the rest of the pack, who guarded the rear flank of our party, to near perfection might I add. The intelligence of these beasts was bewildering. I hadn’t expected them to be anything more than wild creatures seeking bloody battles, like most enemies in RPGs. I was glad to be proven wrong as this had resulted in me gaining a new friend… or shall I say friends, now that I had an entire pack following me. Or was it the other way around, with Sparky following me and the others following Sparky. Who knows?

The translation the system provided was impressive. Sparky seemed to clearly understand me, and his actions showed. I wondered if I would gain a skill or perk later on that would allow me to actually talk with animals… or was Sparky just the Einstein of wolves? No idea! But regardless of the details, I absolutely couldn’t wait to go on some epic adventures with him. Who wouldn’t want a giant Dire wolf who could shoot giant bolts of lightning from its mouth?

I shook the thought away as the boundary of the pine forest came to an end, and the fields of a meadow took over. It was another few moments before I noticed the Lavender Oasis entered our sights. “It’s just over there.” I pointed out before everyone picked up the pace in the final leg of the journey.

I led the pack toward the centre of the oasis, where I filled my flask to the brim and gulped as much water as I could. I used my hand to motion to the others to take their fill. It seemed like they were waiting for me to allow them to use it. That was very respectful of them, and I knew Sparky was the reason for their behaviour. The other traitors must have been from another group that had joined Sparky's pack at some point, as they lacked the good manners of these ones. I wasn’t worried about the water becoming contaminated as the holes at the bottom seemed to do a great job of recycling the water, but I knew, like with all things, there was a limit to this wonder, and we should be careful in its use when the camp gets more filled.

After that, I led everyone to my makeshift camp where, to my surprise, the campfire had died out. I’m certain I wasn’t gone for a full six hours, or was it longer due to me being mind-fucked? But Sparky seemed to give a weird look for how small it was.

“Look, I know it isn’t much, but it’s still a camp. We can make it better together. How about that?” I explained. I know it was kind of bodged up, but home is home.

I opened the campfire menu and added twenty-four pieces of softwood before sparking it up with the ignite command. The fire instantly came to life and began its dance. Oops... I could have probably used the torch to light it, but my brain was fried, so I let the mistake slide while making a mental reminder. There was no telling when I’d find another Flint and Steel.

“Make yourselves at home. I’m gonna lay down in my bed and go through a few things on the system.” I sighed before dropping the torch in the fire and resting my back on the shelter floor. The armour was actually pretty comfy, enough for me to fall asleep in it. The fine fur covering the inside made it feel very cushiony.

I wanted to see if I unequipped the cloak and re-equipped it again if it would clean up… but the system wasn’t having that without a self-repair enchantment. Damn it. I would have to clean it off in the morning, but for now, I placed it over me and used it as a blanket, trying my best to avoid the parts covered in my puke. Once comfortable, I took a final look around to see what the others were up to.

The wolves had done the same and huddled up around the fire, with Sparky chilling out with his family. The rest of the pack had split into two groups. One kept a lookout in the general area, while the others got some sleep by the fire. I had no doubt they would alternate the watch at various intervals like a well-oiled machine and alert us to any impending danger.

I could finally put my mind at ease and get a decent night's sleep without having to keep one eye open for threats. But before I could let them Z’s float away like a baby, I needed to sort a few things out on the system. I pressed the blue system orb and opened the menu. It kind of reminded me of my younger days when I had flicked through my smartphone every night before going to sleep. “Well… some things never change.” I scoffed before taking a look.

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