(Baila’s POV)

“Come on slow poke. Gosh you should’ve been a turtle instead of a rabbit!” Big Sis Pinky Seniour sticks her tongue out at me while hanging from a ledge above.

Her and Crazy are ahead of me because of their strength. I may be quite agile but seriously, for climbing a mountain, strength is so much better.

Freaking strong rabbit women.

“Don’t be slowing down now dearie” Oh and I’m having to carry ‘grandma’. Ahhh my life sucks.

I thought it was difficult enough to carry her through the entire swamp, almost dying multiple times to quicksand, undead and random beasties over the past few in-game days.

That was bad enough, especially with her feeding me debilitating poisons constantly.

This…this was ten times worse: I had to carry her while climbing a freaking mountainside. And she’s still feeding me debilitating poisons. Seriously, I can barely feel my arms. Burning is an understatement for what my body feels.

Clambering up a few holds, gritting my teeth as I do and digging my fingers into a deep crack, I look down at the rest of my lumbering party, trying my best to ignore the vertigo from such height. “Oy lazy lizards how you doing below?”

“The view is good” Zzoid blurts out

…

..

.

“I meant that this is such a wonderful view…look at the sights”

Just keep digging.

“My Knight, how could you put your eyes on another woman, aren’t they meant to be watching me?”

“I’m always watching you.” Zzoid just shut up and climb.

As if listening to my silent voice he quickly lumbers up, scales tinted red.

“Wahahah you fools, climbing by such primal means. Watch as I ascend into a further domain of excellence than you shall ever fathom” I stop to watch Anoobis literally rise in the air, bypassing me with an astute stance and his full-of-himself grin.

Freaking wizard.

“Before you do that you may want to grab onto a ledge” One equally pleased Ravenna rises next to him, lightly hopping onto a small ledge, hugging the wall with her back and laughing at Anoobis who is holding on to dear life on a nearby hold as his spell wears off.

Ha, karma.

“Try not to fall, for death is time and time is of the essence” Krudel almost saunters past me, not even breaking a sweat on his bone body as he carries Miss Nameless or as Joat likes to call her: Princess, on his back.

Freaking undead with their unlimited stamina…

“up Up UP Come on wings!!” Sino flaps his wings with a fury only known to him, with his rabbit friend Hino almost sitting on his legs, quite calmly.

Freaking birds and friends of birds.

“ppPeople…there’s something” Charmine calls from way above, pointing to the distant sky. Yeah she’s riding on the shoulders of the one hulking beast called BoneCracker who is more monster than the rest of us.

Freaking strong people.

“It’s probably just a bird” Zzand call from below.

“KWAAA”

“It’s probably just an angry bird” Zzard corrects his little brother as we all watch the shadowed bird kwaa it’s way in the distance. Growing in size

“It’s probably just a large angry bird” Zzoid corrects them both, yeah it looks like it’s about the size of a horse, scary.

“My eyes aren’t the best but I believe that is an eagle of sorts by the wingspan to body ratio” Honey digs something out of his rather large base of knowledge. “Though by the distance I’d say it’s at least…”

“The size of a swimming pool?” Zzoid adds quite obviously as the shadow fades from bird revealing a brown eagle the size of holy sh-

“INCOMING” NO S-

“Hold tight and don’t move” Rassin whispers into my ear and I brace myself against the mountainside.

Lucky I did because the bird slams into the rock causing a few of us to fall. Whoops. That’s not good

“Don’t worry about them, focus on the Roc” Rassin keeps me from distraction, using her powerful thighs to swing my torso towards the Roc as it pushes off the mountain swinging round for another strike.

“How do you know what this is?”

“They make their nests on mountains, any explorer knows that” Oh, thanks for the heads up, just a tad too blimming late!

“Anoobis, Ravenna, Charmine” Zzoid calls out from the below, quickly scrambling up “Use whatever spells and potions you’ve got to slow the bird down. Rest of you, get moving!”

“You know you guys have quite the way to go right?” PJ calls from above already hopping up another hold.

“Double time the ladder!” Zzoid calls out and I watch them do their little vertical frog jump, using eachother as holds which is sort of working.

“Or just get a ride of Mishilya” Hobo floats up on a shadowy bird of his own, accompanied by Krudel and ‘Princess’ as they had fallen.

“…Fin-”

“INCOMING”

“Jump” Wha-

Jumping while still confused why I’m doing it, I slam into a feathery pillow which gives way to a really hard bone, breaking at least one of my ribs. Oww.

Before I can recover I get flung away, torso squeezed as Rassin keeps hold of me with her thighs, slamming me back onto sinewy wing as the wing moves. My face!

“You know if you don’t take out your knives, how do you expect to hold on?” Rassin lectures me as her thighs threaten to crush my torso. Ow ok ok I got it!

Taking out a trident and kite I slash down with the trident getting the feathery wing stuck between the blades while the kite goes straight through, twisting until the blade is right angle to the wound.

“Decent choices although a pick would allow for movement and a chain may be used to go around a bone, which is a lot more sturdy than the sinew of a birds wings” Of course she needs to lecture me when oh god it’s beating it’s wings literally springing me back and forth as I hold onto dear life going god knows how fast in the air as it zooms around for another swing at the mountain.

“DAZZLE” Both magicians shout out in unison, causing something as the roc screeches me half deaf before colliding into the mountain.

…And there goes my daggers.

Taking out chain and pick I try scrambling up with help of Rassin who pulls my torso up until I get to the bone.

Multiple shouts of battle ring in my ears alongside squawking as I assume people have given up trying to go up the rest of the mountain with a giant bird attacking them.

“Sort yourself out before you lose more daggers” She tuts at me as I stab the wing trying to make a big enough hole for the chain to get through. Look this wing is TOUGH!

Trying my best to ignore the nauseat-nope just threw up all over myself…ignoring that, I continue stabbing as the roc flies around erratically, taking me on hell of a rollercoaster. Oh I remember why I hate amusement parks now. And god dammit I dropped my pick.

Taking out saber I keep stabbing, ah finally making a big enough god DAMMIT STOP MOVING SO MUCH I LOST MY BLOODY SABER THROUGH THE HOLE NOW!!!

Throwing up a second time just over the top of the wing’s bone as I get an arm through the hole and around the bone, I immediately notice more than a few things.

Firstly, there are way too many people on this damn bird. Like 30, wait no that’s just my eyes being messed up, there’s actually only half that number…but still.

Secondly most of them weren’t here about a minute ago, and I recognize DillyDally and his Animal Squad, how did they get here so fast?

No time to think as the Roc-coaster’s going insane sending multiple people being almost sucked off by gravity but almost all stay on, hands stuck inside the bird’s back and holding on for dear life.

BoneCracker is busy straddling the neck as best as possible, but with it being longer than her she’s just about holding on.

The two Pinky’s are busy on the head of the bird, beating on it with their bare fists, somehow staying on but I do- oh god is their feet in the roc’s ear? Jesus.

DillyDally and his 8 remaining people are literally digging into the bird, getting more and more of their arm inside, despite the geysers of blood blasting into their faces without pause.

I’m just holding on for dear life here. Just barely staying on, ignoring the fact that my lower half is flailing like a fish out of water, beating it against the wings doing me hell of a lot more damage then I’m doing it.

“Get the eye” Rassin as calm as ever, no nevermind I can almost feel her excitement pouring through. Seriously this is scary, everything is spinning and screeching and shouting, it’s oh god I’m gonna puke again.

Ironically enough, I puke and due to the damn bird barreling, diving, dropping and whatnot, I go towards my vomit, splashing through it, some re-entering my mouth. Uehg this is disgustinnng.

Somehow spinning into view is the one of the gazelle-beastman, Snorh, literally punching holes into the wings with his hooves and antlers, making his way towards me.

“Fancy seeing you on this flight” he finally notices me, chuckling at probably my poor self, an ecstatic smile gleaming towards me.

“WHAT?” Couldn’t here him properly but he said something about a flight.

“A bit bumpy if you ask me” Yinroh’s head pops up beside his antlered brother, the same ecstatic smile mirrored on his face.

Oh you’ve got to be kidding me. You’re really joking around at this time!?

What are they up to? Acutally whats more important is how high is their freaking strength to puncture the wing?!

“Just a bit of turbulence, but do not worry, we will be landing in a few moments”

“May all passengers please hold on to your grannies”

“And your life because this will be…”

“Rocky” Both speak in sync, chuckling as Yinroh nudges Snorh along the bone, antler cutting through the sinew with surprisingly a lot of ease since it’s going through the side.

What did they do, sharpen the bleeding things?!

“Get the eye, quick!” Oh god why, we’re going to be crashing in a few moments! I’m not going to be able to crawl there in time.

…

..

.

Oh I’m not going to like this.

Forcing my numb foot through the hoOAMMMMMAAAYYY that hit the wrong place…

Ignore the pain, get out chain. Wrap it around my foot and the bone. Now the other one, now tight tight and stab it into my foOOOOWT.

“Tighter, you need to be able to stand” I’ve literally impaled myself into the bird, it’s not getting any tighter.

Pushing myself off the bone, Rassin still staying on me, can’t breathe, torso crushing.

Alright, butcher out swaying lessened somewhat since I’m sideways and I just felt my leg break. AHFFFFFFFFUUUU-

NOW! Throwing butcher towards where the sort of eye is in my slightly less spinning vision, I don’t even know what happens but its squawks get unbearably louder than before before going deathly silent.

“LADIES AND GENTLEMINGE, CRASH LANDII-” The voices get lost in the whipping wind as we start dropping.

Oh bugger, I’m tied to the roc, how do I get out of this?!?

“You do not” Oh thanks Rassin. THANKS.

I FEEL the impact as the Roc crashes into the ground, my legs snapping and leaving myself dangling in the air for about half a second before the wing and I smack into the ground and all goes black.

…

(Thrash’s POV)

Boiled giant egg is delicious!

Munching on it, something screeches from far off.

Someone’s angry. I wonder why.

Mmm finding this egg was good.

And having Strawder cook was even better. Yum!

Let’s finish this then try find girl’s friends, since they’re supposed to be here…somewhere…

The screeching gets louder and louder until it appears: a very large birdy with people on it. Who’s that? Oh it’s uh the elf guy and a lot of half-animal people who I can sort of recognize. It’s hard with all the moving.

…

..

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I should move.

Running on my feet as I hold lunch, getting just out of the way as the birdy crashes into the plateu sending more than a few people to the ground with it.

It’s single golden eye looks at me with a lot of anger. This birdy was angry.

“SOLDIERS, WHO ARE WE” Elf guy stands up onto the dead birdy’s head, hair all over the place.

“SQUAD ANIMAL” shouts come from everywhere, most hidden by the birdy.

“Jesus that was hell of a monster” the rabbit kid crawls out from the birdy’s ear…

“Actually seeing as though it was a level 65 Rookie it wasn’t that bad” The old bunny appears from the other side of the head. “It was way too easy”

“Well that’s because most of it’s magic was disrupted, or you wouldn’t have been able to even damage it” The smart librarian raven woman floats into view.

“Yes yes, please aknowledge my impeccable role in this battle, how the crux of our victory lay on me” Very full of himself as always. “Although it was Lenard” why did he whisper that?

“Mistress you can open your eyes, the Roc has been dispatched” The skeleton butler appears on a cool looking shadow bird. Ooh I want to ride that.

“SQUAD ANIMAL” The Giraffe and Rhino shout out from the shadow.

“Thrash!” Oh it’s the lizard who isn’t good with words.

*gulp* Ahh egg is tasty

“Hello”

“What is that?” Why is he smiling? Have I done something wrong?

“It’s lunch”

“Of course it is” Many people there start laughing or shaking their heads slowly… Is it not lunch time?

Shy yet angry rabbit is missing, where is she?

“Where’s…Baila?”

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..

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“She’s over here” A granny crawls out from under a wing with Baila.

That’s not a granny…

Oh no my egg’s getting cold gotta eat it quick.

*Munch munch*

…

(Baila’s POV)

Coming to a short while later. Jeez didn’t know passing out was a thing in game, scary.

Ignoring the multiple notifications of certain leg and head bones breaking, I’m just surprised I’m alive.

“-crawl through a field of glass for your attention, please grant this worthless trash cuddling bottom feeder a smidgen of your awesome power to restore the health of this unworthy unholy…female thing so that it may serve it’s days worthlessly compared to your great majestic self. RESTORE” Hobo stops ranting to the sky with random garble and Zzoid stops translating on the side.

A hot, yet soothing hand strokes my body, oy stay away from the goods! Oh that’s nice. I feel fantastic. Keep going please. Wait no don’t stop, it’s really really good, I no longer feel constantly poisoned. Please don’t leave nice feeling.

Aaaand it’s gone. Well at least I don’t feel like a broken doll anymore.

“Welcome back, almost lost you there” Zzoid offers a hand.

“What happened?” I remember doing something stupid like chaining myself to a giant bird in the air and then breaking both my legs. OH MY GOD MY LEGS!

*twitch*

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..

.

Oh they’re fine.

“It’s good to have a priest around right” Zzoid waggles his scaled eyebrows. Damn he isn’t wrong, even if Hobo is kind of strange/creepy. His summons and sermons are just strange to put it simply. “As for what happened: Squad Animal ripped both of it’s wings and something killed it, causing it to drop onto the plateu where we are now”

Huh…talk about taking the express elevator. Oh my stomach still feels queasy.

“Oh and Thrash is here” he points towards the rugged wolf-beastman, silver mane still shining through the dirt, grime and blood covering his body. And he’s eating a giant boiled egg.

“…Did-”

“Yep” Zzoid confirms my thought. God dammit Thrash. But you just look so happy eating that I can’t be overly pissed at you. “Oh and he brought a friend too”

“Ah finally. I was beginning to feel distraught that you didn’t remember me” A scare…nope just a human made of straw wearing travelers clothes strolls up to me confidently. “I am Strawder and I am on an adventure for….adventure”

…Alright…?

“Why are there so many Npc’s? is it bring your Npc day?” DillyDally jumps off the bird and almost skips towards us, taking a straw hand with his own muscular one. “DillyDally, leader of Squad Animal. A friend of Thrash is a friend of ours”

“Ah, thanks” he seems…perplexed.

“Right, sorry we took a while to catch up, we were stocking up on crocodile for rations” I just heard that correctly and I’m not even surprised.

“Taste like chicken?” I give him a smirk.

“If it was super bitter yet zingy then yes. But the taste grows on you” Lovely.

“Huh so they’ve even got such accurate tastes implemented” Honey once again surprising me. Sounds like he’s eaten croc IRL…wow.

“Since we’re already up here and it is lunchtime, how about we have some croc and rest up?” Zzoid points to Thrash and his still working fire.

Well that’s a good idea, plus I’ve had enough moving for an entire week.

Everyone drops to the ground to get some food and water in them. Climbing a mountain is still hard for even the crazy strong ones.

Ignoring the undead who are looking full of life…ironic.

“Oh dearie, you look rather thin” Dammit, I almost forgot I’ve dropped a quarter of my weapons and now I’m going to get poisoned again. Stupid code word. “here have some soup” I hate soup and this is literally poisonous, huuu.

She hands me a very large bowl from under her cloak filled with the dodgy looking broth, oh there’s daggers hidden inside the soup. No they’re my daggers.

Sneaky woman must’ve gone and picked them up, oh thank god, I do not want to climb back down and all the way up just to get half my daggers back.

Thanking her, sincerely too, I slip the daggers into my cloak and have a bit of soup

Poisoned

Weakened

When will this end?

Agh I hope Joat’s in living hell or I will be SUPER pissed.