Chapter 635: Making Cerebus proud

Mason (and Stag) led their pack of six nymphs through the fey. As ‘spring’ turned to summer, and then fall, the creatures made little chattering sounds of fear. He had to practically pull Calypsa forward, the others following in a chain of linked and clenched hands.

“This is the land of the Unseelie!” whispered the red-headed nymph, green eyes wide as she stared at every bush and shadow.

“The Queen will strip our flesh!” cried another. “She will freeze our water, or turn us into terrible beasts!”

“The druid will protect us,” Thea soothed. “Do not fear, sisters.”

It was a bit like telling a panicked person to calm down. The nymphs went on freaking out, and Mason went on dragging them along. When ‘fall’ turned to ‘winter’, and the half naked women touched snow with bare feet, they just flat out started quiet weeping.

“You’re embarrassing yourselves,” Calypsa hissed. “The druid is Cerebus’ champion. We’re perfectly safe.”

Mason gave Stag a quick glance, no idea if that was true. The creature looked back and gave his version of a shrug. They crossed the ice, moving quickly towards the new great tree seed.

Cold wind howled as they passed the ‘Whispering Wood’, and the court of the Unseelie. The nymphs were all staring with fascinated horror. Mason’s senses and One with Nature were pinging with warnings.

He saw white-skinned ‘elves’ hiding in the snow. They stared with cold, blue eyes, their long, dark hair like dirty camouflage, spear-tips just barely jutting above the top of the snow. Tree-like creatures hid amongst the forest, limbs just visible, staring with the same blue eyes.

Mason stared back. He put Calypsa’s hand on Stag’s flank, then stepped forward and grew his Claws.

“I see you,” he called. “All of you. Your god can’t stop me. Interfere, and you’ll die.”

He wasn’t sure if they understood, or if they recognized the threat he posed, but he preferred not to have to teach them. That whichever creature he looked at hunched down and tried to disappear seemed like a good sign.

“Come on.” He gestured Stag forward. “Let’s go around to the left. I think it’s a little shorter.”

They walked through the drifts and wind without problems (except the chattering teeth of the nymphs), moving past the snowy trees towards more comfortable life beyond.

Mason was about to tease them about being so worried, then the snow in front of him erupted.

The nymphs screamed in terror, and even Stag reared up with a snort. Mason rushed forward with his Claws in sword form. The snow fell too slowly, the explosion seeming to reverse itself as the flakes descended and started to solidify into a glowing, human form.

Cold, blue eyes stared from the silhouette of a woman standing in a swirling maelstrom of ice and snow.

“The horned prince,” she said with cold contempt and a confident voice. “I must suffer your passage through my realm. But

six

daughters of Gaia? I think not.”

The wild nymphs wept and held each other, Thea holding her arms around them looking almost as frightened. Only Calypsa stood at Mason’s side, her spear forming in her hand, bark-armor growing over her skin. He was kind of impressed.

Because he couldn’t be ‘sure’, but he was pretty damn confident this wasn’t some ice-elf queen. It was the goddess of air and winter—Queen Mav herself. Or at least some version or image of her.

He tried to think through the game’s worldbuilding. Whatever else she was, Mav was a nature affinity god. He’d already proved immune or at least very resilient to Gaia’s magic since becoming Cerebus’ champion. He expected the same would be true of Mav.

Somehow his victory in the prime had ended a contest between gods, as if the first round was over, and they were going into some kind of final or new stage. But he had to assume it was better for Gaia and Mav that Cerebus win.

They weren’t ‘allies’, exactly, but they were all part of the same group. The old ‘me and my cousin against a stranger’ saying had to apply, or something like it. It was clear Cerebus would still protect Gaia against something he disliked more. It seemed likely he’d protect Mav, too.

“I’ll be crossing many more times,” he finally said. “I’m not making some bargain with you every time I do.”

Mav’s blue eyes flashed in the swirling mist.

“Do you as like, princeling. But Gaia’s daughters know the rules.”

Magic started to build in the air around them, the nymphs shrieking and holding each other. Mason raised his voice over the wind.

“Hurt them, or take them, and I’ll smash everything you have left.” He pointed at the trees. “What’s there to stop me? I’ll break everything that worships you. I’ll find your artifacts. I’ll break it all.”

The cold, pale eyes met his, pulsing with magic-infused rage. Thea was screaming something about not antagonizing her, but he wasn’t afraid. He’d learned this game now. Learned these gods weren’t invulnerable—that they had things to lose, that they were in some eternal war of attrition with all kinds of soft targets.

The winds slowly died as Mav stared. He could see her chest heaving as she controlled her anger.

“Haven’t you done enough? You already stole my champion,” she hissed. “I know it was your doing, you and your magic seed. You

corrupted

her.”

“I stole nothing. She chose life instead of death. And I need these nymphs to help grow my army to stop Yalor. I

know

that benefits you. A nature victory is better than any alternative for you now. So if you’re finished, let us go.”

Mav snorted, eyes narrowing as she shook her head.

“Your arrogance is astounding. I would expect no less of one of the horned god’s rutting bulls.” The goddess paused and kept that endless stare. “I will let your nymphs pass unharmed, but you must come into my woods. You must look into the frozen pool.”

It was Mason’s turn to snort.

“With all due respect, I don’t trust you for a second. You know what I’ll do if you harm the nymphs. So why should I do anything you say?”

“Because despite your insolence, you are correct. Your victory benefits me. Better Cerebus than other…less desirable victors. And if I cannot punish you, I must reward you, or else I seem weak. But you must be tested to earn my help. There are rules.”

“No, druid.” Calypsa turned to him with wide eyes. “Nothing living leaves the Whispering Wood. You can’t go in.”

Mason glanced at Stag. The immortal creature gave him another shrug.

The decision is yours.

“OK. Let’s say I go in. You with me?”

Not even if your patron dragged me by the horns.

Mason laughed and glanced at the terrified nymphs. He could see the wisdom of avoiding the entire situation. Who knew what sort of nastiness Mav might have or try to pull?

But something about his new title gave him comfort. He was ‘protected’ in a way he’d never been before. It was like fucking with him now was really picking a fight with the ruling order of the world. It gave him more confidence the system finally had to ‘play by the rules’, like it always

claimed

to be doing.

And he wasn’t afraid of a fair fight. He also saw a clear opportunity for another dose of real power. Getting rewarded by all three nature gods might be another impressive title or at least some kind of major reward, not counting whatever he got in that wood.

He expected a dungeon of some kind. Probably an individualized one because how the hell would you even get a group in here?

“Take the nymphs to the new great tree and wait there,” he said to Stag. “If I take too long, go through and tell the avatar of Gaia where I am. Tell her to get the nymphs to work. Can you handle that?”

The intelligent creature nodded, then walked forward, forcing the nymphs clutching his fur to follow. He turned back and briefly met Mason’s eyes.

To enter willingly into the Whispering Wood. I have never seen it done in my long life. You are a madman, ranger.

He gave the creature a wink, and glanced at one of his first titles—earned for beating the tutorial dungeon designed for a group on his own.

Yeah,

he thought,

crazy like a fox.

“You said you’d protect us, druid,” Thea called, dragged along behind the moving Stag.

“And I have. You’ll be safe. Follow our grumpy friend here. And go to my mate, she’s your mistress’s avatar, she’ll look after you.”

He watched them go, making sure they’d left the snowy terrain while he had ‘Queen Mav’ clearly in view. Once they were safe, he smiled and turned to the trees.

“I’ll see you inside?”

The goddess just kept on staring, then vanished with another blast of wind, the attractive silhouette exploding in another swirling maelstrom of snow. Somehow he doubted this experience would end with them being best friends forever.

But if he was honest, he’d been getting itchy for another brutal challenge. Killing Jeong and the other avatar of the Endless had been frustratingly short. And somehow just not enough…

suffering

.

He sighed at the feeling, but thought it better to acknowledge the truth than rationalize it away. He approached the trees and had to fight the grin, the little butterflies in his stomach like he was heading on a date.

A god was about to try and break him, and he couldn’t have been happier.

“What’s wrong with me,” he muttered, hand hovering at the edge of the frozen trees.

But perhaps the final stages of the game were no time to question his motivations. It had gotten him this far. Helped him survive and take risks everyone else didn’t have the stomach for. Or maybe were too ‘smart’ to try.

“Suffering is the fastest path to wisdom,” he quoted Gaia, then reached out for the trees.

[Hidden dungeon discovered: Whispering Woods. This is an optional, individual dungeon. It cannot be exited once begun, and is considered an extreme, mortal challenge. Would you still like to proceed?]

Yes

, he thought,

by all that’s holy and insane, yes.

Time worked different in the fey. Even if it took awhile, he was confident he could get it finished without much delay in the ‘real’ world. Plus, his only real objective now was to grow himself and everyone else in power. What better way would he find than this?

He accepted the prompt, feeling himself pulled into the magic of the dungeon. He had his reasons, of course, but with his final thought he knew the real answer was

because he wanted to

. He hoped Cerebus was proud.