Book 2: Chapter 29: Lady Shui's Treasure |
Shui laughed as she whizzed through the thick green and vibrant forest around her. She dodged a lancing root from the brown, old hag, dryad that was attacking her, ducking under another swipe from its Ent familiar and smashed her ugly face with her hammer. Crushing its skull, killing it, and flattening her face in gruesome fashion. The Ent stumbled back and forth as it lost the only source of power that kept it moving before it finally dropped in a massive crash that shook the forest around them.
Mr. Mo Mo did his usual thing, jumped on top of the Ent, waved his paw, and extracted a shining gem from its chest. He did the same with the dryad. “If only it was another friend shaped guardian,” Mr. Mo Mo whispered into her mind.
“We have enough friends for now! We need to find lots of treasure in our adventure before Jun and Ancestor make us go back,” Shui didn’t pause for a second, bolting in the forest and searching again for her next destination. Mr. Mo Mo and a dozen other creatures ran along behind her, though only the tiny cub didn’t have a visage full of repressed terror and trauma that was commonly associated with a certain Warg.
Not that Shui noticed.
She was having the time of her life. Running around free from all rules and commands, smashing monsters into paste, and tag teaming anything that was too powerful with her best friend; Mr. Mo Mo. Nothing stood a chance within the Inheritance Instance. No guardian or monster of epic proportion stood a chance against the monstrosity that was carving their home apart.
Shui ducked under low branches, leapt over thick logs, ran round large trees a few times in wide circles just for the fun of it.
Laughter and an increasing high of dopamine and ecstasy course through her–
Something flashed gold to her right as she whizzed by it.
Shui came to a dead halt, her friends slid to a stop a distance away. All of them turned to look back at her. Mr. Mo Mo disappeared from his spot and reappeared next to her. Headbutting her leg and giving her an inquisitive look. He rarely spoke, but when he did, it was a deep rumble that echoed in her chest. He couldn’t hide his size when he voiced his thoughts like he did his form.
Shiny? An Inheritance Treasure? We’ve defeated quite a few of the guardians and monsters set as challenges already.
Shui giggled. “Those mean spirits stood no chance against our duo teamwork! We are unstoppable! I smash them with my big hammer and make them all dizzy and wobbly and you turn them into dust! Just like Master always says; a one, two combination!”
Indeed we are.
The little girl turned on her heels and jogged back toward what could have been treasure and a reward for their successes so far within the Inheritance Instance. All of her new friends followed closely and dared not make an attempt at running away. Each and every one of them was a guardian or monster of high stature within this spacial pocket. Beings of immense power and prestige that prayed with gratitude that they were what the little demon considered cute and friend shaped.
Otherwise they would all be like the rest of the guardians.
Dust particles floating in the air.
It didn't take long until they made it to their destination.
Shui paused before a large doorway covered in vines, dirt, branches, bushes, and a dozen other things that hid it. Only small parts were exposed to the light in any way. Those were a bright yellow color that vibrated with Qi in her senses. That had not been apparent until they had gotten close enough to touch it. There were more layers of arrays and other items trying to prevent her from going in and locating whatever was inside.
Hmmm… Someone put in a lot of work hiding this. I didn’t even notice it when we were running by, nor did I notice the vast amount of Qi within it until we got this close.
“What do you think is in there?
This seems too well protected to be a simple treasure house. I can detect at least a dozen barrier arrays and traps to prevent anyone from entering.
“Y-You think this is actually the treasure room you’ve been telling me about! The secret room where all the good stuff is hidden!” Shui couldn’t contain her excitement, jumping up and down and nearly tap dancing.
Likely. Only one way to find out.
Mr. Mo Mo raised its small paw and let its tiny claws out. It growled and scratched at the golden doorway. Dead silence filled the forest for long moments before a screeching sound erupted around them. Claw marks ripped through all the metal, defenses, arrays, tailismans, and everything else that had been protecting what was continued behind the doorway. All the meticulous planning and work to keep it hidden and protected went to waste as it was torn into shreds with a wave of Mr. Mo Mo’s paw.
The golden door was ripped off the hinges and thrown a distance away, exposing a dark foreboding tunnel entrance with steps leading downward.
Shui skipped into the maw and made her way into the treasure room followed by the gaggle of monsters and guardians led by Mr. Mo Mo. None of them dared to say anything while the little girl explored empty room after empty room, bulldozing her way through the large stone tunnels that were lit by orbs of light created from a squirrel monster she had ‘tamed’. Any locked doors were smashed open by her hammer or ripped off the hinges by the little bear cub if Shui couldn’t dent the metal.
It took them an entire hour before they reached the final gateway.
There was nothing but dust everywhere else they had checked.
All their hopes rested on this single area.
Shui recognized that there was no way she was capable of tearing down the gargantuan doorway that stood before her. Tens of meters high, made of a dark silver metal, and likely too thick for her hammer to smash. She turned to Mr. Mo Mo and pointed.
Yes, Lady Shui.
The doorway stood no chance.
Mr. Mo Mo blasted it into the cavernous room beyond. Artificial light flooded out into the tunnel and blinded them for a brief moment before their eyes readjusted.
“Woah,” Shui said as she slowly stepped into a room covered in treasures and gold.
The walls were lined with racks full of glittering weapons of all shapes and sizes. The ground was covered in gold, silver, and various colored coins of unknown value to her. Crowns, jewelry, furniture covered in gems, and a hundred other things that were piled one over the other in mountains around the cavern of treasures. It was everything she imagined it to be.
A screeching sound snapped her from her stupor.
In the distance, they saw hulking golems rise from under all the treasure in the shape of overly bloated dragons that looked more like lizards than serpents. Fire leaked from their mouths, each a unique and individual color to the golem.
Shui smiled.
Not only did she get a ton of treasure, but she got to fight too?
This is the best vacation ever!