It had only been minutes but it felt like the whole world had changed.
"YOU WANT TO WHAT?!"
"I….. I think I'm in love with you, shark-wolf-plant boy."
"Brink, shut up and help build the boat." Darius yelled over the sphere of wind in part created by the force-mage, Warren and a few other wind element users.
It kept the students inside dry as the nature and earth element users worked in tandem to build a boat large enough to house thirty plus students.
Brink was laughing so hard he looked ready to barf as he watched the storm rage against their elements like a living beast behind protective glass.
"This is AMAZING!" Brink was high on catastrophe.
"What a ray of sunshine." Finn huffed as he tied down logs interwoven with twine, hemp and braided vines from Naz and Claude.
"Can you not say that right now?" Stella said as she stood across from him inside the hollowed boat, slathering freshly pressed plant oils and honey across the surface in an attempt to waterproof their ride to salvation. "MORE OIL!" She yelled to Reagan who stood behind Finn, punching a pile of plants and chunks of beehives.
"Not say what?" Finn asked her.
"Sunshine."
"Oh… haha… right. Maybe we'll see some inside the Tangent! I hear it doesn't follow our timezones on earth."
Stella looked up at him like he was stupid, "Yea….. everyone knows that. Why are you saying it like that's some newfound rumor?"
"I thought it was….. people in my village debated it heavily." Finn mumbled.
"Well, then you can end the debate when you go back home. If we survive this." Stella grunted.
Survival wasn't their first goal.
It was maintenance and structure.
After a few more minutes of teamwork and agonizing labor in a hell storm, the boat was finished. Each shoddy group pulled through and did their jobs with the tools they had.
Claude and Naz were the binding agent. Their roots and vines would be more durable than the norm. Which was needed in braving the wild oceans. The seeds Naz lodged in between the wooden planks were their primal cannons to fend off sharks and lochness beasts at a moments notice. Instant spikes and defensive wildflowers. He'd need to get some of her stock some day.
Reagan and the other heavy hitters stood over bundles of plants and beehive chunks, hammering away until their fists and construct-blades were caked in pasty oil. From their, they used their university tops to gather up the goods to let Stella squeeze the primal polish over the boat.
Waterproof.
Defensive.
Simple.
Strong.
"This looks like shit."
"Man, literally."
"Why is it so….. soggy?"
The students stared at the boat in disappointment. It looked like how the trees behind them would once the storm passed. Wet, jumbled and covered in greenery that could've been mistaken for strands of moss. To give it the curved shape that would allow for ocean travel, fat rounded chunks of solidified earth hung from the north and south end, like piles of dung. Everywhere else the wood shined and dripped, smelling almost acrid when combined with the water and magic in the air.
"Guys, please! I'm about to faint." Warren huffed as he held the sphere of wind with Darius and the others. They glowed against the backdrop of shadows and ice like human torches. Fading just the same.
"Alright, let's get the wounded on deck. The strongest stay back and help push this into the ocean." Naz commanded.
Isaac heaved up two students over his shoulder and held another by the collar of their uniform.
Ursula did the same and got a nod of respect from him as they climbed up into the boat.
In seconds, majority of the students were huddled up on the boat, carrying oars in exhausted grips.
Claude hung outside with Naz, Ursula, Finn, Isaac, Raegan and Brink.
They all stared at him.
"Listen, firsty. You're strong. But not in that way."
Claude shrugged off the blow to his ego and—
"Strength comes from work. Stay." Naz grabbed Claude's hand and pulled him to her side.
With no one holding enough energy to protest, Claude joined the musclebound students and placed his hands against the boats backside.
"On three, push with your oars to help us." Naz said. "One!"
Brink inhaled, using his inhuman finesse of the elements to fill his muscles with oxygen, transferring to instant strength and energy.
Ursula steamed as the wind users let the gusting globe collapse to join the others on the boat.
"Thr—"
Hell embraced them as they pushed. The winds were deafening. The shards of hail spinning in the air were like glass, cutting skin wherever it was exposed.
It was so dark they could only see the world in white flashes followed by thunderous reverberations.
Thankfully, Darius reminded them to build the boat close to sea.
It took one group push and the twisting tide welcomed them with…. anything but open arms.
When Claude got on board, he found the students alert and focused on things other than the wild weather.
Then he saw them.
Snakes moved across the deck like long bodied roaches. Three of the unconscious students had bite marks and constriction gashes on their limbs. Almost felt like assassination by reptile….
As the stronger students worked the oars to get the boat moving, everyone else jumped around the cramped space trying to slay the snakes.
"Keep one alive. If I can take their traits, maybe we can get an anti-venom from me—" Claude's directives were cut short as someone bumped into him and threw him overboard.
His whole world magnified in sound and confusion. The ocean waves were full of froth and flecks of torn flesh, making it impossible to see even a foot in front of him. In the distance lightning flashed, warming the waves and giving him stop motion pictures of his teams boat still sailing towards the Tangent entrance.
Naz leaned over the back calling out to him.
Before he could react, Riptide and Rivera were dragging him after them.
The Tangent gleamed green. D-Rank— passable by bronze ranked heroes with adequate terrain knowledge and hazard gear. A tear in reality outlined by cosmic glowing energies and gaseous outputs of foreign mana.
He watched the boat enter. One second it was rocking— sailing unevenly and spinning in all its weightlessness compared to the wild oceans power.
Then it entered the Tangent and disappeared in a blink.
Riptide and Rivera swam harder, tails moving like swung blades. They burst towards the surface and jumped, dragging Claude with them.
The transition was jarring. The ocean was hot— supercharged by the magical power of insane predators and the carpet bombing of lightning from above. Then suddenly, Claude was faceplanting in dense snow.
He got up to a world of white. Naz cut through the crowd freshly off the boat and lunged into him.
"I thought I lost you."
"What?" Everyone slowly turned around to face them.
"I went overboard. Someone bumped me. Probably on accident, it was wild out there." Claude replied.
"I didn't even know." Isaac replied. Warren agreed.
It seemed nobody did but Naz. She had impressive awareness.
"We're home!!" Finn picked up the snow and threw it in celebratory fashion.
"Shhhh man!" Enzo and Marion quieted him as any assasssin's would.
"We're in a Tundra-type Tangent. Expect massive polar-beasts and ground uncertainty." Claude told the group.
"What does that mean again?" Warren itched his chin.
"We could be walking on frozen oceans. Since we don't have ice shoes be careful. Let's set up a hike formation." Claude said.
"Two tanks up front with archers, healers stay center and ready to support." Naz commanded.
Minutes later and they were trekking through the endless white steppe.
"Everyone but the tanks keep your eyes closed." Claude said as he tore and tied up his cloak into a rope for everyone to hold.
"What— like literally?" Someone asked.
"Yes. Or we risk snow blindness. We have to open our eyes in shifts until we can make glasses."
"And I thought a Deviant was the worst outcome to entering a Tangent." Darius shut his eyes and kept stumbling along.
"A Tangent going from a D Rank to an S-Rank or above only AFTER we enter, has got to be worse than walking with our eyes closed." Warren said.
"Unless there's a horde in here." Carmen replied from beside Darius and Warren at the front.
"Horde's don't exist in Tundra-type Tangents at this rank." Claude interjected.
"Mr. Smarty pants, everyone." Brink joked before tripping on a icy clump of snow.
"Why's that?" Finn asked from beside Claude at the back end of the line.
"At lower ranks, Tangents house creatures with less intelligence. Things that are too desperate and hungry to have the time to try and build social bonds and hierarchies with other species. It's too risky and requires sharing. You have to be smart to know what goes around can come around."
"Or well fed. Gods dammit I'm so hungry." Ursula groaned.
They all stopped as something massive roared in the distance. It echoed and carried in the white winds in a way that made it sound like the creature was right in front of them.
"What the hell was that, man!?" Warren whispered even as Marion held his mouth closed.
"Everyone keep your eyes closed." Claude steeled himself. His Island-Dogs stuck close to him, walking with their eyes closed and heads low.
"Are you nuts!?"
"What is it?"
"Wholly-Rex." Claude and Isaac replied at the same time.
"We need to keep moving." Naz said.
The group nervously agreed.
Brink prayed it followed in hushed ecstatic whispers.
***
They traveled for an hour. An hour of high knees and combating hypothermia. An hour of hearing the Wholly-Rex scream from the heavens on it's drawn out sluggish hunt for them…. or worse.
Eventually, they reached a cave.
Only, one problem.
It was full of red-back's.
"You said these bastards were related to badgers!" Someone yelled to Claude as they ran through the tunnel system of the cave. Back towards the exit.
The burrowing beasts in black and white ran them down with an endless rage.
Not hunger.
Rage.
They were one of the only tundra based species that had a temper capable of leading them away from food.
Also, Brink stepped on an egg.
They were huge.
Ten of them, the size of donkeys with spiky black and white fur, two rows of serrated teeth, fatty impenetrable skin and claws worse than bears.
"I'm ready to fight, I'm tired of running!" Ursula said as Isaac threw a fireball at the closest pursuer.
The beast ate it and burped noxious black smoke, not slowing at all.
Roars from the white beyond rattled through the cave. It's how Claude was leading them back to the exit. He otherwise wouldn't have been able to retrace his steps through the maze. He felt stupid for not thinking of marking his tracks.
He felt smart— insane again, for his next idea.
"Everyone get in front of me!" Claude slowed.
No one hesitated. That kind of hurt.
"Darius, I need a blast."
"Dammit!" Darius huffed.
"At the intersection ahead, all of you go left and hide." Claude explained as he ran beside Darius at the back.
They could feel the heat of the red-back's breaths.
"Why not the exit?" Finn asked.
"Just go!"
Claude looked to Darius. His aura was already blooming.
The two shared an exhausted nod and turned to face their attackers.
Darius held out his hands, "Finally, no more running."
The blast hit like an explosion.
The tunnel crumpled, caving in all around the red-backs in a way that would flatten any man.
"Hey, level up!" Darius huffed with his hands on his knees.
"It's not over, go join the others." Claude pushed Darius away just as the sound of the red-backs digging through the rubble became to loud not to notice.
Darius stopped for a moment, "You're going to lead them to it, aren't you?"
Claude shrugged, "I'm going to try. Don't look at me crazy, I brought us here…. Who else should do it?"
"No one should. They're stuck for now? We all could run together. Logic and heroism don't intersect as much as I'd like I'm realizing…" Darius said.
"Only when you use the wrong logic." Claude replied, "Red-backs have noses as good as any wolf. The same goes for their stamina. They hold pockets of dense fat in their largest muscles…. tens of thousands of calories they can burn carelessly ripping through rock… or tracking us. I would've tried to tame them. I should've….. but—"
"Brink."
"No, all of us. We're tired. Sloppy. So now they have to die so we can live. I'll make their graves when we get back home."
Darius stood silently for a moment. Claude's other mind wanted to kick him away but he felt a moment was transpiring that wouldn't appreciate ruination.
Maybe another person to be less like Tai and more like what Ursula said wasn't possible.
"Alright. But you shout or anything and I'll drag everyone out to fight everything. I'll send Brink first, the ass."
Claude smiled. Rubble skittered against his heels as the beast came from behind.
Darius took off.
Claude Island-Dogs continued pacing around him, anxious as all hell.
"I just know part of you hates me."
Rivera licked his knuckles.
"Let's go meet a primal."
The dogs barked, inadvertently amping up their hunters.
Claude took off. He stopped at the intersection, finding only the glare of a few dozen eyes in the very far distance. Naz must've assigned watchers just in case.
"You sure about this, man?" Isaac asked.
Claude ripped off his cloth tether and bundled it up. "Fire me."
Isaac's eyes shone red as he chanelled his element and sent a blast of flame down the stone tunnel.
It hit Claude's bundle of cloth and ignited. He took off soon after, leaving only a trail of smoke and red-backs as the rubble shattered.
Claude could taste blood on his breath. Microtears in his lungs from all the movement.
He pushed onward, moving his legs faster until the white gleam of the outside world spread across the stone floors. Flecks of snow drifted inward and melted.
The red-backs wet footed stomps became a war chant fitting for the battle laid before them all.
He jumped out of the cave and slid down the hill with his hounds running at his sides.
All the while thinking, "I thought the bug-bear was huge."
It was a hundred feet away. Twenty five feet tall. Each leg was the size of a treehouse only the metaphorical bark was a shaggy dirty white fur. It's massive body was offset by baby sized arms that seemed useless until you saw the black claws that clicked and let off sparks into the snow.
The primal shook, letting off snow and dust and giblets left to rot in its locks.
The multicolored feathers on its head told him it was male.
"Thank the gods…. No high speed offspring to worry about." His first gamble was made and survived, "Now for the second…"
The red-backs stopped but didn't run despite the ungodly size difference. They weren't even scared. Actually, they were getting angrier.
Growling, grunting, stomping to intimidate the wholly-Rex. Trying to tell it to get away from their kill. From Claude.
The Wholly-Rex chirped and chortled like some evil upperclassmen playfully mocking his fiesty younger peers. Almost not taking them seriously.
They circled eachother. Each step shook the earth and birthed small mushroom clouds of snow.
They circled Claude.
Slowly, Claude stepped out of his boots as the primal prelude to violence transpired like a whirlwind around him. His mind did what it always did.
"Island-Dogs being born below the equator makes them adjacent to fire-type creatures. But their stamina and water faring lifestyle has dragged many to polar portions of the ocean. Their fur isn't like other canines. It's more durable, reactive to water and intense temperature... I think I remember my dad telling me there was prototype element resistant fur cloaks made from Island-Dog pelts. I really hope that's true. Or else I'll due by shock….. again?"
The ice cracked beneath his feet. Second gamble made. He activated (Beast-Trait)
The flaming cloth hanging from his hand melted through the snow and began piercing the ice.
It wasn't going fast enough.
The Wholly-Rex dusted its paws like a bull preparing to charge.
The red-backs roared and charged.
Claude's heart stopped before he even hit the water as the two monstrous existences went to war, completely uncaring in if they turned him into paste along the way or not. Paste was edible anyway.
Then, he was back to reality, improvising, stomping his foot as hard as he could into the melting ice.
The crack was loud. The sting of ice water was louder as he fell through.
At the same time, the Wholly-Rex's foot hit the ground less than fifty feet away, breaking more of the ice. Behind him, the mass of dense red-backs broke more of the ice.
Instead of just him falling through a small well, they all sunk as the icy surface shattered like glass.
The black wasn't nearly as overwhelming as the whitehot pain of millennia old ice water.
Then a red-back cut open his back in its wild reactive rage.
[75% HP Remaining]
Experience in water based combat made him keep his mouth shut and thank is Island-Dog lungs for all the air they held.
With his instruction, the Island-Dogs bit down on his feet and dragged him to the surface.
It should've been simple but the red-backs sank like bubbling blade storms around them.
Claude swung his claws, opening up lines of red in their fur, barely drawing blood. Simply streams of red so warm they almost felt like fire in comparison.
The waters vibrated as the Wholly-Rex sank at blinding speeds.
It was almost dizzying. Leaving him thankful when his feet hit chilling air.
***
He didn't remember making it out of the water.
Just waking up surrounded by students and the glow of a fire.
"Crazy-guy, you're ripped." Enzo commented as he crouched over him beside Marion.
Marion shrugged, "There's been worse ways that people have found out they're naked. "
"I'm naked?" Claude asked without moving.
"You're naked." Marion reiterated. His curls hung over his face in a messy half dry fray.
"Your clothes were frozen." Naz explained.
"Don't worry you're covered." Ursula added.
Claude sat up to find the Island-dogs grouping up over his private regions.
"Thanks guys. For everything."
"Thank the gods I didn't learn your plan or it would've been us both naked…. And BURNED ALIVE!" Brink said before being smacked on the back of the neck by Carmen. "Do it again."
"No, I think you're starting to enjoy it."
"Speaking of enjoyment, why is this Tangent not completed?" Warren asked.
"Oh yea, did the Wholly-Rex not fall in?" Isaac asked.
"It defintely did."
Isaac shivered from the beside the campfire, "Oh no….. what if it's still walking at the bottom of the lake?"
"Please don't say that." Warren said.
"Yea say it's dead. We need to start manifesting it's all we got at this point." Julie pouted. Finn hugged her as they crouched.
"We've got a new objective." Claude said as he shrugged on his toasty pants.
"And that is?"
"Find the Tangent boss."
"Right now?"
"No, let's eat first."
"Oh yes, I love chewing on rocks!" Brinks replied sarcastically.
"Better than stepping on eggs." Stella commented, "Wait…. The eggs."
"FREE PROTEIN!"
Everyone was on their feet, now ready to brave the tunnel in search of food. The battle could wait, discovery was afoot.
***
"This shit is…. shit!" Brink yelled with a mouth full of snotty yolk.
If you say it's poutine, it becomes poutine. My mother used to tell me that during harsh winters." Finn whispered to seemingly himself.
"Nope. Doesn't work." Brink spit the yolk back into the egg and burned it until it was scrambled mush.
"Give me yours then." Ursula snatched his egg and devoured it, then ate the shell.
The girls standing behind her offered their eggs. She took them and continued eating.
Claude stood over the burrow of red-back eggs, drinking from his own, cringing with every swallow of the rough gelatinous yolk. It was so fatty it almost felt like dough as it glided over his teeth and caught in his throat.
"This is a crazy first Tangent, man." Isaac said as he stood beside him. His uniform was torn and burned around the sleeves as if he was a young firefighter in training.
"This is your first too?" Claude asked.
"Of course."
"I assumed you entered one with your dad…."
Isaac shook his head, "He doesn't play about that stuff."
"Well, I'm glad my first was with you. That fire saved me." Claude bumped shoulders with him as they watched the Island-Dogs rummage through the egg field.
Isaac turned to look at him, ice flecks lodged in his braids , "Me? Saved you? HAHA. I'm behind in that department. Now for assists? I'm your best man."
"Heroes don't keep score, man."
Isaac laughed, "If you weren't a badass sometimes you'd be so corny."
"He still is." Ursula yelled from somewhere deeper in the cave. He could hear her stomping over like a bear waking from hibernation.
"So how do you plan to find the boss?"
Isaac asked. "We could simply attract it with noise but if a storm hits that's our lives. We could've used the eggs as bait but that's….. yea."
"Still thinking about that one."
"My dad always said the bosses come to you eventually." Ursula huffed. "Let's just sleep until it comes."
"We don't have that kind of time." Claude said.
"The rewards better be something ." Isaac said, "We still have the Island-Gauntlet to get back to."
"I'm not worried about the rewards right now—"
Rivera's tail stuck up, along with the hair running down her back as she sniffed wildly around a cracked egg with tiger stripes.
Claude went rigid if only for a moment.
"What?"
"False-dud." Claude mumbled.
"As in that egg is actually fertilized?" Isaac asked.
"Yea." Claude replied.
"How isn't it dead?"
"Survival mechanism. It's how certain species of monstrous-mellivora are born in harsher conditions. They have the ability to endure things. Tougher skin, rougher temperament, dulled nerves to take more pain. So they can afford to birth power through extreme adversity…. by chance. Through a false-dud. It's been acclimated to harsher conditions already and it's not even born. The eggs cracked— It's been battered. It's skull density is probably already two times that of a late pup in a natural-hatch litter. If it was born as it was here, it would eat all the eggs and trigger a testosterone overdrive stage and grow twice as fast as its siblings."
"Claude, when do you start speaking English?" Isaac asked.
"He doesn't." Ursula ate an egg shell like it was a potato chip. She offered Isaac one and he shook off the offer without looking.
Claude walked past them and picked up the egg. It had to be almost eighty pounds. He looked up at Isaac and Ursula like a child on Christmas.
"Guys, we just found a crown-mellivora."