I move closer before something pinches at my shoulder and I smack at it, frowning at the small black insect now smashed against my skin. “What the?—”
ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED
You took your first life.
REWARD: 1XP
Cipher’s voice is suddenly so sultry, it makes my skin crawl.
“The fuck is happening right now?” I grunt, looking around for more threats, but the insects are too small to track with my eyes. It’s only a few seconds later that I realize they’re so hard to track because there are so many of them.
“It appears you have encountered your first threat, small as it may be,” Cipher says, his voice normal again. “Perhaps you should address the problem.”
“They’re attacking!” Locke rasps, swinging his arms around wildly. “There has to be thousands of them!”
“Millions actually,” Cipher corrects. “Prepare to be itchy.”
As soon as he says it, they’re all around me. Tiny black insects, their wings fluttering so fast, I can hardly see them. There are so many of the things, their wings make a sort of song as they fly around us. The moment they land on my skin, there’s a pinch of pain followed by the intense need to itch the spot. I smack at them when they land, but there are so many, I can’t possibly stop them all.
“They’re biting me!” Locke screeches, swinging his arms around frantically, trying to keep them from landing on him. He dances back and forth, moving chaotically, but it still doesn’t seem to help. “They’re going to eat me!”
Cipher snorts and starts to laugh. “They are just mosquitoes,” he says. “Bothersome creatures, of course. They bite and drink your blood, but they are mostly harmless in the Harrow. On Earth, they carried a multitude of diseases.”
As soon as Cipher explains it, a small icon pops up as it follows after one of the insects.
Mosquito
Tiny fiend, evil
“How can we keep them from biting us?” I ask Cipher, starting to swing my arms around as well in the hopes of keeping them off. Where the insects bite me, small red welts pop up as a reminder of their itchiness, and I can’t resist scratching at them. Poor Locke is itching at his own welts and punching at the air like that’ll somehow help.
“There is a plant to your right growing along the ground. It has a strong scent. Crush those leaves between your fingers and rub it on your exposed skin,” Cipher instructs. “It should deter all but the most desperate of the pests.”
I look around the ground and find the leaves he mentioned. As I hover my hand over it, the menu pops up.
Mint: Harvestable resource
I quickly strip off a bunch of the leaves and crush them between my hands. A strong, thick smell rises up and makes my nose twitch as I start to rub them against my arms. There’s an immediate difference as I start to spread it across my neck and face. The bugs move away except for a few that are easier to swat. I grab more of the leaves and rub them between my hands again, staining my palms green. I rush over to Locke and do the same to him, rubbing the paste along his arms and neck, which proves to be a feat with how frantic he’s swinging around.
“Stop punching the air,” I growl. “You’re not helping.”
“I’ll kill them all!” he snarls, swiping at them. When they start to move away from him after I finish putting the paste on, he slows finally and looks over at me. “Bugs,” he grunts. “I hate bugs.”
I look down at the many welts on my arms and try my hardest not to itch them. “I can’t say I’m a fan of these ones.”
“What are they called?” Locke asks. “Quitoes?”
“Mosquitoes,” I correct. “I don’t know what the fucking point is of a tiny insect that drinks your blood but?—”
I’m cut off by a high, shrill screech. It echoes around us, cutting through the trees, and it doesn’t sound very far away. I can almost feel it in my feet. Whatever monster it is, it sounds big. Way too big.
“Cipher,” I whisper, crouching down. “What’s that?”
“The Verdant Nexus is based on an extremely dangerous place that used to exist on Earth with a little bit of spice thrown in. It was called the Amazon Rainforest back then. There are many things that can kill you here, but most especially in The Whispering Canopies, the current zone you are in. You cannot face the Major Boss in this zone without leveling up. Might I suggest you pick up your pace and move into the next zone?”
“You don’t have to ask me twice,” Locke grumbles as Cipher speaks to both of us, and starts to power walk through the foliage.
“Are we going the right way?” I ask Cipher, following after Locke.
