Wayspring Wanderer - A Desert Druid LitRPG

Chapter 9

Oskar thought the best thing he could do in the moment was to appear as nonthreatening as possible, especially considering he basically was. He allowed the creature behind him to root around in his stuff. This, of course, dismantled the make-shift pack completely. The extra clothes were discarded on the sand below, useless for the large creatures.

He caught a glance at the thing with a spear behind him, confirming it was another crocodile, slightly smaller and noticeably paler in color. Thankfully, the PUB told him this one was only a yellow threat. The Croc was initially interested in his leather jacket until it poked its finger through it with ease. Disgusted by the materials weakness, it discarded it onto the sand. Oskar didn’t even know why he was carrying the jacket anymore, but watching the large pale green claw casually poke a 2-inch hole in his expensive riding jacket still stung.

“You out of drink. You now trade. Make deal, stupid pink?”

So… this was the racket, huh? Steal their water if they have it, then indenture them. It's a good racket, but not from this end.

His shoulders fell as he accepted how absolutely hosed he was. He was out of his depth. His careful rationing of water throughout the day made things worse. He was already thirsty.

“What kind of deal?”

The crocodile seemed to smirk, “Don’t matter, right, dum-dum?”

Oskar frowned, waiting for him to continue.

“I no waste water on likes of you. I got one, two, three useless now. Too many.”

Oskar looked around slowly now that it seemed he wasn’t in immediate danger of being killed. This creature wanted something from him, and if he could figure out how to be useful, he might have time to get his bearings.

He saw what appeared to be a long, sheer fabric sheet canopied over a horizontal pole that was resting on two poles sticking straight out of the ground. The entire structure resembled a short, but oblong triangle from the side.

It looked good for being able to sleep without laying directly on the sand, but simple enough that the whole thing was relatively lightweight, depending on the weight of the poles. There were four of these structures around the lantern, which hung on its own pole in the center of the camp between the dunes.

He saw another of the Crocodiles sitting in one tent, glaring at him through the sheer fabric. This one looked distinctly feminine, somehow. Although she wasn’t much smaller than the other two, her scales were a dark, almost navy blue, and smaller. More dense, compact.

Despite her smaller size, she looked dangerous. Her beady eyes showed intelligence and an unnerving look of calculation, quickly followed by casual dismissal. Her threat level was red, but looked almost orange, as if the PUB wasn’t sure exactly where to place her. Blue guy might have thought he was in charge, but Oskar knew the hierarchy of the group immediately.

And I… am decidedly on the bottom.

He thought Pale might have been excited to have someone to lord over until his gaze caught two additional sets of eyes peering through their own Goggles at him that belonged to something he couldn’t begin to guess at.

Under the sheer fabric of another tent were two humanoid creatures, their dark fur gleaming in the flickering lamplight. They wore gray leather armor that covered their torsos and a belt with strips of leather hanging down to cover their furry thighs. Both wore Goggles and Bracers, well worn, but like their armor, they appeared well cared for and made specifically for them.

So, PUBS come in different shapes, sizes, and colors built for different wearers. And I guess mine was serious about nap-time, although if it's piggy backing on notifications, I'm a little too busy to check. If something is important, it'll let me know.

With their lean forms, the two forms under the tent looked like long eared monkeys, but with sleek, deep purple fur. The creatures were small- maybe five feet tall and couldn’t weigh much more than half of Oskar’s weight.

They looked cowed, fearful, and eyes only looking up briefly as he watched, however… like Miss Crocodile, they had a look of calculation and intelligence.

Not as mean looking, though. Miss Croc looks… bitey.

The one closest to him looked up again and locked eyes with him for a moment, and those green eyes held a great deal of curiosity, but the gaze moved on quickly; back down to their lap where they held a waterskin in a clawed hand.

Hard to be sure, but the green-eyed one looks female.

Oskar noticed orange-colored stripes visible around the shoulders and face, but didn’t want to be rude, so he looked away as well. He almost forgot to even scan them; they presented themselves as so harmless. Both were yellow threats, but he suspected there were ways to manipulate scans.

Oskar had a feeling he shouldn’t underestimate any of these creatures, despite their awkward use of language, but he was more worried about the smart ones than the strong ones.

Strong people hit hard. Smart people work in the gaps.

He looked back at Big Blue as his low voice continued, “Find more water. Or die.” it shrugged.

“Either way, more water for me. For we,” and he hit his chest.

“Sleep with stinkies. Now. One, two, three have short night, long day,” he grated out a short laugh as Oskar’s PUB blinked with a Gambit notification, defining the task he’d been given.

// Gambit Accepted: Find enough water for the Vulk Collective.

Difficulty: Easy- Modified due to Wayspring Wanderer Class.

Reward: You get some of the water you bring back. Emphasis on some. Emphasis on probably. I know I didn't say probably, but emphasize it anyway.

Consequences of failure: “Grrr, find more water or die!” I mean, he’s probably right, though. No water in the desert? That can’t be good. //

Oskar glanced at Big Blue as he leaned over to gather his clothes, careful to make sure he was allowed to do so, but the Croc was already drinking from Oskar’s waterskin. It was an awkward affair; he was trying to pour it into the side of his mouth. Heartbreakingly, he was wasting as much as he was drinking.

Blue took a few sloppy sips and tossed it to the female with a curse, who simply poured the water into a different waterskin that had a short, fat hose on the end that seemed to be made specifically for their long mouths and drank much more gracefully. Big Blue stared at her thoughtfully, as if she’d just figured out one of life’s greatest mysteries.

There’s no world where he is actually in charge here.

Oskar made his way slowly to the side of the tent with the purple, long-eared creatures and paused as they scooted over to make room. They looked much less like monkeys closer up. They were more humanoid, just with lanky, lean builds. Their sleek fur shimmered purple in the lantern light. Closer up, their faces looked feline, with only a vague hint of the monkey characteristics he'd seen at first glance.

Looking down, the tent cloth was less sheer on the sand as he sat his clothes down. The Crocs apparently now saw him as a non-threat and ignored him as he walked over and retrieved his spear. I mean… they weren’t wrong. He was, at the very least, with a group that had experience living in the desert without a military supply train for more than a day. Better than dying or becoming food for a night predator.

Oskar thought the two purple creatures were distracted, so he stole another look at the one with streaks of orange running through their undercoat. After a moment, he noticed green eyes peeking through Goggles staring back… and they winked at him above an oddly foxlike grin.

What? You've never seen purple cat-fox-monkey people before, Oskar? Fantastic first impression. Just stare at them slack-jawed.

The PUB must have really been asleep, or it never would have missed a chance to make this situation more embarrassing.