~JST POV~

God these spiders are annoying. If i had a bigger sword I might've been tempted to kill them all. Well maybe i'd let one live actually since Jones seems to like them, without its legs of course. Even after gaining the ability to communicate with them half of the time they talk they're chittering. It's fucking pointless since it would translate if it meant anything. Right now Sraa is just giving off a rhythmic chittering, maybe it means he's thinking but I would really rather kill him. After a while he finally answered.

"They are above, in the canopy as they have always been." The small spider responded.

Why the fuck did that answer take so long.

"Then that's where we're headed." Cobb declared. "After a while at least my mana needs to recover and so does my head." He groaned a bit.

"Beware the leaves. Much like a spider in the dark the Geckans thrive in the leaves." He warned, his many legs became restless.

With that the spider scurried off to the other side of the hollow avoiding the light pouring in from the hole above. I watched him depart and begin to communicate with the other spiders giving order or commands of some sorts. My attention was stolen by the clearing of light in the middle of the hollow. I stared at the dust motes, disturbed by the commotion that had disrupted their peaceful floating. I took in my surroundings feeling the edge of my Arena and pulling my senses inwards. I became aware of each spec of dust in the air as I pulled my awareness past them and towards me. When I finally reached my body I was acutely aware of the pain across my calf. It burned and ached at the same time, in addition my exposed skin I've come to learn does not like contact with the air. Each and every inch of my body that wasn't covered in my tan scales felt as if it was in some very mild acid.

After a period of rest we sent Jones to the spiders to ask for directions. Cobb had identified the stupid noisy spiders as Trunk Spiders something which I didn't find at all original since they live in a fucking trunk. I thought the noises they make, at least when they aren't bothering to hide themselves got even more annoying. After Cobb grudgingly denied my request to kill all of the Trunk Spider populace, much to Jones relief, Cobb and I followed our little brother up a carved tunnel that had a more noticeable incline. Glowing roots were interspersed across the floor as we moved, seemingly growing over the artifical carved floor of the passage. I bounced on them everytime I had the chance when Jones mentioned that quality to me.

"Please stop." Cobb said.

I did not stop.

After a few minutes we spotted light coming in at an angle up ahead.

"Hey look light." I said.

"Hey look I have eyes too. Isn't that dandy?" Jones sassed sarcastically.

"Fuck you."

"Both of you shut up, here's the plan." Cobb said. He then rattled off a plan.

"Fuck that!" I ran out of the tunnel finally having a chance to do an indian war cry and found myself on a very large branch on both my sides there was room for one Adapter Bug.

Almost immediately my indian war cry proved effective as challenger answered, falling from the canopy up above long limbed Geckans came down. Instantly I assumed a ready stance to recieve them and stopped my hollering, my knees bent and my arms tensed, my weapon angled slightly and my shield was raised. My sword made quick work of them, dancing across their bodies drawing red streaks while my body avoided incoming blows. After that inital violent charge they became wary of my blade but never stopped moving, a sign of an intelligent creature. I used every moment to search for advantages be it positioning or otherwise. Two bodies lay on the floor with fatal wounds ripped into their chests. My brothers by now had exited the tunnel and formed up on my sides. I flicked my blade and splattered blood on the remaining enemies as they opened their mouths to launch their tongues. Immediately I could see a reaction, they closed their mouths and made some weird noise I assumed was their attempt to spit. It didn't seem however that their tongues worked that way because instead they tried dropping their heads down to drip the blood from their mouth. That was how a pair of Geckan heads found the floor. Jones had snuck up behind them his hair whipping in the winds that blew at this altitude.

A few more moments passed as I watched Jones leap and jump around everywhere, his movements were such that the wind always moved him into place and his blade always cut something vital. I didn't even have to do anything, in fact I became kind of jealous.

"And what are you doing?" I asked slightly peeved.

"Don't look at me he's got it and my mana is still just 50%." My green brother responded, surprisingly camoflauging quite well in the greenery sprouting from the branch underfoot.

"God this guy is a monster." I said shaking my head as he Jones impales the heart of the last remaining enemy with the assist of the wind.

"A monster." Cobb agreed nodding his head sagely. Jones walked over to us dusting himself off.

"What?" He asked unaware of the blood on his face. His walk was firm despite the steady wind, behind him the leaves of the tree rustled endlessly.

Cobb gave me a look. "Nothing, let's head to the next branch up ahead. I'm gonna assume that's where the queen is." He pointed upwards.

The branches of the tree were huge and were positioned like a spiral staircase, however they only got close enough to cross between branches at the end of each branch as they began to fan out in more extensions. That meant we had to fight our way through this branch, jump across to a smaller hanging extension of the next branch and continue that process until we reach the top of the canopy to which Cobb had just indicated. Up above the leaves got noticably thicker and judging from the placement of the branches, the very last "step" should give us access to it. Hopefully we weren't wrong because that would suck so much balls.

A shrill cry rang out over the blowing wind. In the distance I spotted a giant snake and it was fucking flying. There was a slight glare from its scales that reflected off the sun.

"Behind us!" Jones said his perception working in our favor. It was then I got a good look at its mouth.

Two rows of the white glistening teeth of a predator. I snapped my arm forward and jammed my shield in its mouth, stopping its momentum. It gave off beastial growls and tried to take my shield from me, jerking its body backward using whatever method of propulsion it was using to fly to pull as well. My shield arm kept it in place as my gladius slipped into its head from below, its body fell limp like rope. More growling behind me and I had to abandon my shield as I scrambled off to the side, a lunge by the beast barely missed my neck and I made eye contact with its cat-like eyes. It reared up, its eyes narrowed, it opened its mouth, and ate a ball of green fire.

I watched it burn from the inside, scrunching my nose I passed the carcass of my previous opponent, pried my shield from its dead mouth and ran for Jones. Running towards the ensuing fight I got a better view of the whole body, it was lengthy and lithe, seemingly smooth, its head was that of a snake and so was its body but it had short arms and legs which I didn't understand since it flies. I watched as the weird thing surrounded Jones and used it legs and arms to scratch at him while his head worked for a fatal blow. Fortunately Jones was able to cut off a few limbs before I landed on the beasts head and splattered its brains across the floor. Glancing to my left I realized how dangerously close I was to the edge of the branch, I backed off slowly. I slipped.

"Woah!" Jones grabbed my arm giving me time to find a foothold and push upwards.

"I think I just peed myself." My heart was racing. "Oh my god." I think I pooped myself too.

"You can kill a flying snake demon but you're afraid of little drop?" Cobb said jogging over, he was still further back by another pile of ash.

We continued forward until we reached a point where we could cross from there all we had to was continue across each branch until we reached the top. As it was now the closest sturdy looking branch was only ten meters away. The problem was the open air between us.

"Well fuck let's turn around then." I said walking away.

"Weeeeeee!" Jones sprinted forward and jumped, he didn't land on top of the branch but it didn't matter since he can just stick to walls. He scrambled up from there. "Come on! It's easy!" He grinned and waved.

He was hanging his legs over the open air.

This kid is absolutely insane.

"Well." Cobb clicked his tongue. "Can't have our little brother going at it alone." He started running.

Cobb leaped pathetically, he was nowhere close to the needed speed. As he began to fall, he started spinning and a jet of fire burst out from his feet. He left a trail of fire as he blasted past Jones, the fire dissipated in wide circles. I stared wide eyed and turned to finally walk around. He had landed in the leaves a burnt a whole straight through them.

Yeah, fuck that.

"Don't be a sissy just jump!" Cobb yelled over to me.

"There's no way bro!" I yelled back. "I'll just go back into the trunk and find another way!"

A sudden and familiar shriek brought my focus back. I crouched low sensing for my Arena and felt a disturbance from behind me. I fell flat to the ground and jammed my sword upward as the beast ran itself through into two clean halves. I was drenched in blood and guts as I recieved the next one. My shield slammed it in the face and its battle cry caught in its throat. I cut both its eyes before I had to shift my attention to a third one. Again I wound up my arm and thrusted my swung my shield across both of their faces, one of them ragdolled on the floor unconcious while the other began to circle me. Its body was literally circling me. Thinking myself smart I reached down to the snake I cut in half earlier and threw one of the halves into it. Unfortuantely it didn't seem to care and let the limp half-body flop against its face, never taking its focus on me.

I activated Hyperfocus and charged in but it didn't move to attack. As I got into range with swift footwork it almost immediately coiled itself into a spring and I had only a second to react. I twirled to the side and arched my back as the thing displaced enough air that my body was swung back around. As it passed I watched it's eye glance back with look of surprise in its beastial features. I used the momentum of my spin to jab my sword into the base of its neck. It screamed and snarled loudly before launching off the branch with me with it.

The fall was invigorating and I actually enjoyed it until I realized we shouldn't be falling. I looked down.

"What the fuck? Did you faint?" I slapped the snakes face, holding on to my sword with my shield hand, it didn't move so I kept slapping it. "Wake the fuck up!" I screamed into the side of its head, keeping up the slapping.

Blearily it opened its eyes and looked around, I slapped it again on accident. First it was panicked, then it was mad, then it was in pain because I kept wiggling my sword and because I slapped it.

"Up dammit!" I pulled backwards, not enough to actually slice through anything, just enough to cause pain. It screeched in pain.

The snake followed my directions and reared upwards after a moment I realized this was really fun, in the same moment I think I found my way to the next branch. I fucked around in the open air for a while, letting the snake accept its fate and learning the controls. In the end I got a pretty good grasp on riding flying snakes and began to make my way to my brothers. Wait till they get a load of this shit.

I'm not sure exactly what the fuck happened in the five minutes I used to fly my snake around but my brothers were now fighting some type of gorillas. It seemed Cobb fell back into a method of fighting I found pretty cool whenever I saw it. He went into an evasive form and dodged all attacks, running from and avoiding every strike. He weaved between enemies and was always on the retreat and when he seemed to be caught it was actually the other way around. Three gorillas, I couldn't make out their exact details from here, had Cobb surrounded and I smiled. They lunged forward and Cobb flowed from between them, there was a pause as they looked at the distinct lack of death and then Cobb set them all on fire.

Get wrecked.

Meanwhile I was flying at high velocity and I didn't know how to stop.

"Yeeehawwww!" I screamed, waving my shield arm in the air like I was waving my lasso around, might as well own it.

"What the fuck JST!" Cobb said narrowly dodging me, it helped he was already in an evasive mood.

My rad ride crashed into like five gorillas and they all flew off the side of the branch. Their sad ape faces showed such a recognizable expression of honest confusion I almost cried laughing. The rest of the gorillas, which I now noticed had longer arms, seemed terrified, likely because I was riding a giant flying snake and laughing like a madman. I laughed some more as I rammed them with my snake mobile. Honestly I should have felt bad for the snake since I was using him as a battering ram and could probably be charged with vehicular manslaughter if I was driving a vehicle and running over people. Instead I shrugged off that though and sent more gorillas flying off the branch. One stubborn gorilla actually tried to stand his ground and beat his chest, he gave off deep hoots that I took for a challenge. Naturally I sent the fucker flying. He gave off a sad hooting and had ample time to accept my superiority as he approached the ground below.

"Get the fuck out of my tree you monkeys!" Continuously ramming gorillas required me to control the speed of my snake so I eventually had to figure it out.

I slowed and landed the snake, and by that I mean crashing him headfirst into the branch, and having his head drag violently across the wood to slow me down some more.

I clapped my hands, lifted my shoulders, and spread my hands palm up. "Well? What do you think? I know I was a little rusty with the flying but hey it was my first time." They didn't seem amused.

"What the actual fuck man." Cobb's eye twitched. Jones was peaking at my mount from behind Cobb. "How the fuck do you even come up with this shit?" He breathed deeply.

"Bro is that snake friendly?" Jones inquired.

"Yep." I pulled my sword out of him and he immediately bared his teeth and snapped for me. Faster, I grabbed his head with powerful accuracy, looked into his eyes, saying "You motherfucker." and brought his face into my knee, his head exploded across the battlefield.

I was trying to figure out a way to get all this brainmatter off my hands. I'm not really sure why but my last few kills were done by obliterating the head. It was probably because the Adapter Bug resisted my strongest punch that I got pissed.

"Holy....." Jones craned his head to watch the goo land.

"Calm, calm, serenity, peace." Cobb was chanting. Orbs of green fire circled him, magical meditation as he called it. He was sitting down cross legged. His mutterings faded into the background as Jones interrupted.

"Uhhh should we go on to the next branch or...?" Jones asked.

"Hold on I haven't checked my prompts and notifications in a while." My little brother nodded in understanding.

"I'll keep watch."

Class: Gladiator Name: JST

Title: The Strong One

HP: 247/320 Lvl: 27

Effects:

Race Druman: +10 STR, +20 END,

The Strong One: +50 STR

Gladiator: +10 STR, +10 END per level

Spider Blessed: +Relations with Spiders increased, +Can communicate with Spiders

MP: 51/51

SP: 165/430 STR: 190 CHR: 10 END: 120 INT: 10 WIS: 10 LUK: 10 Stat Points:

Hard Scales (Race Skill) (Passive) - Intermediate 10 (88%)

Hyperfocus - Intermediate 10 (23%)

Combat Savant - Advanced 3 (5%)

Breathing - Advanced 1 (0%)

Overdrive - Intermediate 2 (10%)

Warrior Bond - Intermediate 7 (10%)

Monster Riding - Intermediate 1 (2%)

Hard Scales (Race Skill) (Passive) - Intermediate 10 (88%)

The Druman are known to excel in combat, much of their culture deals with combat and thus it is no surpise to find that they have adapted a form of natural armor.

Effects:

+10% damage reduction

Hyperfocus - Intermediate 10 (32%)

Your battle hardened instincts did not go unnoticed. Shifting from a state of joy and complete catharsis to complete control and focus is found in only those who experience battle daily.

Effects:

+Perception of time slowed by 30%

+20% increase in muscle reaction

Combat Savant - Advanced 3 (5%)

Various techniques and masteries you've acquired have combined into this skill. You have shown advanced mastery in unarmed combat, the martial arts, sword technique, hammer technique, and shield usage. Data suggests you are skilled in several more dicisplines. Instead of granting individual skills they have been combined into this skill. In addition you have not shown any interest or reach for magic or stealth leading one to believe you thrive in direct combat.

Effects:

+46% effectiveness in battle

+2.3x multiplier on STR and END

Breathing - Advanced 1 (0%)

Superior respiration techniques lead to more efficient muscle movement and energy usage and consumption.

Effects:

+42% reduction in stamina usage

Overdrive - Intermediate 2 (10%)

Caught in a whirlwind of emotions you have pushed your body to past maximum performance.

Effects:

+22% to all stats

+Equal demerits for equal duration.

Warrior Bond - Intermediate 7 (10%)

Forged in battle the Warrior Bond is a connection between allies, teamates and comrades, unspoken yet everpresent.

Effects:

+85% intuition of teamate planning or manuevers

New Skill: Monster Riding - Intermediate 1 (2%)

You happen to be one of the crazy bastards insane enough to mount a monster, and to some extent, control it. Monster Riders are few but only because they make it look so fun that everyone else rushes the process and gets themselves killed. Have fun!

Effects:

+22% ease when riding monsters.

+1% of mount speed.

Wow I actually got a skill for riding that damn traitor.

I had leveled up 3 times since I last checked so I began by adding the 15 stat points into STR. Combat Savant I could actually feel working, anything I did that was with the intention of battling my enemies came easier to me. The 46% increase in combat effectiveness was very noticeable. The multiplier on my STR was hard to judge, uprooting a tree for example is obviously inhuman, but most of my fights were likely within my ability without that bonus. The Geckans die easy enough with simply superior skill. The most noticeable moment I saw that multiplier affect was denting the Adapter Bug, following that came dealing with bouts that tested my STR directly against another creature's. But since I never really fought them before hand I can't judge the difference, at best I gauge how far off from normal I am by whether or not Jones is avoiding them.

The muscle reaction bonus on Hyperfocus I couldn't percieve but I did catch a flying snakes head in my hands so maybe that had something to do with it. Warrior Bond or Overdrive I really never got a chance to use none of the monsters so far had required specific planning or extreme measures. Because of these circumstances I never had any system assisted feeling that a plan was brewing or any periods of weakness due to pushing myself too much.

Something I noticed was that even though skills had multiple tiers new effects aren't always added. That makes sense actually since it would be impossible to think of three seperate effects for each skill.

"You done? It just looks like you're thinking now." Cobb said, his green orbs of flame still flew around him.

"Yeah i'm done. What were those gorillas anyways?" I asked.

Cobb looked around conspiratorally and leaned in. "Get this." He whispers so very quietly. "Canopy Gorillas" He says.

"That's fucking retarded." I respond.

"No its not it's because they live in the canopy, get it?" Jones explained.

"You're fucking retarded." He stuck his tongue out at me. "Why haven't you been using any illusions anways?"

"Who says I haven't been?" Just then a part near his hip blurred and the Illusion Magic skillbook appeared.

"Ok but why the fuck haven't you been using it to fight?" I ask getting pretty annoyed, he always draws this shit out.

"Who says I haven't?" Then the fucker vanished, like he was never even there, he was just deleted from existence.

"I'm actually up here! I just let the gorillas waste their energy chasing me!" He yelled down. He was on the next major branch, one more step up. He was off in front me and another ten meters away.

Well I didn't have a snake to ride so I had no idea how I was actually gonna get over there and punch him in the face. After a while Cobb ran and jumped off the branch. He began to descend but instead of using jets of fire like I saw him use earlier he turned into a cow. Said cow was now walking in air towards the branch, it was even mooing. It was such a real looking cow too except for the fact that it should be falling.

"Ok what the hell. Was I down here all alone?" I am so confused. The cow was still walking around in the air.

"No I was just off to the side casting, i'm surprised Jones knew how to mimic my orbwalk casting but it worked out." He said emerging from a clump of leaves not too far away.

"Is there a way you could just launch me to the next branch?" I asked jokingly.

"Oh yeah sure." With that immense heat flooded the area and condensed into a huge solid green hammer of fire. "Those are heat resistant right?" He gestured to my scales, holding the hammer on his shoulder.

"Yeah." I gulped down.

"This shouldn't hurt." He swung and a jet of fire added to the force of the swing leaving a trail of bright green in the air. I thought I saw his eye twinkle.

This is just like my first time flying a snake.

I tore through the illusion of a walking cow, to Jones credit the cow exploded into various pieces of seemingly cooked meat rather than dissapating.