473 Anansi

Anansi is a trickster and the keeper of knowledge and stories. He took the form of a spider and spun giant webs in the forest. There he caught all the stories from every creature's dreams and gossip.

Anansi sometimes kept the stories for himself, but other times he shared the knowledge with the world so they might become wise.

He acted as a go-between for creatures and other gods, and he was the one responsible for tricking the divine into creating night, rain, and other natural phenomena.

However, his aims were never noble.

Anansi entertained himself by tricking humans (and Gods) through complicated pranks. Sometimes he gained nothing from the pranks other than the joy of having made the creature work harder. He had even gone so far as to trick followers into believing he created the world.

Ren quickly threw a series of [Duds] when he noticed that the corpses were marching in his direction again.

"A player, finally! I have been waiting for you!" Anansi announced. "Forgive the greetings, but I couldn't control the corpses here. But rest assured that the spiders won't attack you."

Ren leaped into a high area where the corpses couldn't get him, and he faced Anansi. "So you made a lair here?"

Ren was baffled as to why there was no engaged prompting button or did he have to talk with Anansi first to trigger some kind of a reaction? Since he was faced with a High God, he wouldn't obviously let it pass and leave without killing it.

However, Anansi shrugged. There was no sign of aggression from him at all. In fact, he seemed to be genuinely happy that a player appeared.

"I did. This place is a bit crampy and depressive, but it's better than having no companions at all. Am I right?"

The spiders on the ceiling made rattling noises in agreement with him.

Ren looked at him suspiciously. "What do you want?"

Anansi's grin widened. "Glad you ask! You see, I've been waiting for someone to go to Eldermill and ask Viscendra for her prized [Demon's Metamorphosis] armor. But sadly, those elves don't like beasts or gods encroaching into their properties, so they set up a powerful barrier that even the great I couldn't break."

Ren closed his eyes tight when he knew what this was. "And if I refused?"

He was hoping that it would trigger Anansi's wrath and that the God would start to attack. In that way, he could kill him with Pii right here and now and then move on to the Queen Fairy Tomb's lair.

But his prayers were left unanswered, for Anansi merely tilted his head to the side.

"Then you can't leave here."

This was the worst outcome that Ren could possibly hope for. Without that trigger for [Engage], he couldn't do anything with Anansi. And with his big fat ass blocking that only hole in the ceiling, Ren had no choice but to accept Anansi's quests to get out from this grove.

It was one of those [Absolute Quests] that payers had no choice but to do it. But since Ren was going to go to the Elves' settlements anyway, and he was left with no choice but to escape from here in order to advance –– he could do nothing but agree.

"Fine then."

[You have accepted Anansi's Quest!]

[The High God, Anansi, requested that you get him the Demon Metamorphosis Armor from Viscendra's shop]

The quest seemed simple enough, but Ren knew that it might be a chain quest, and thus, he would probably waste time doing all those quests before he could finally fight Anansi.

"Good! I'm glad that you pick the right answer!" Anansi's smile widened before he moved aside, revealing the only exit above.

Ren didn't waste any more time and immediately transformed into a bat and flew upward towards the moon. He even heard Anansi's' yell from below as he soared higher towards the above ground.

"Don't forget our agreement!"

When Ren was sure that he was back in the forest again, he transformed into his real form and quickly went on his way. He only had a few hours left before the game could force eject him from the game.

He didn't have the time to dawdle here.

With Pii leading the way, it was only a matter of time before Ren finally reached the Lynchwoods, where the Queen Fairy's Tomb lay hidden.

This woodland was so dark and foreboding that few wandered in here deeply. Even the elves never go near in this place. Due to a lack of light and an overabundance of water, most of the trees here died a long time ago, and where their trunks lie at odd angles, they had been overrun with moss, ivy, and fungi.

Spiders and snakes made their homes in the damp hallows of the trunks, hunting what animals remained. Ferns grow in deep pockets of shadow, reaching up to what scant sunlight penetrates the gloom. And further in, where the mushrooms and the moss were thickest, something emerged from its lair . . .

Ren recalled the lore of these woods.

When the masses skip the law, ignore systems of justice, and choose to end a life over a personal vendetta, the result could be something monstrous. The victim's lifeblood drained into the earth, suffused with their anguish and a thirst for vengeance.

Should the roots of an oak drunk deeply from this blood, the spirit of the victim merged with the tree's gnarled form, granting it tremendous power and a cruel sentient.

These colossal creatures were known as Lynchwoods, and their punishing nooses have brought countless guilt-ridden creatures fell to a greyish end.

With supernatural senses and incredible strength, Lynchwoods were rightly feared by all who have committed evil acts and gotten away with it –– or so they thought.

Most Lynchwoods were of this standard variety, rapidly growing from sapling to tall, misshapen moss oak. They waited patiently for their prey to enter their domain and reared up and choked the life of the creatures who wandered in its grasp.

Destroying a Lynchwood required destroying the heartwood in its core, but it was well guarded by the creature's branches. Lynchwoods were far swifter than they appeared, and their nooses could drain the air from a victim's lungs.

But beyond that horde of terrifying trees was the tomb and Ren had no choice but to venture inside it if he wanted to open the Fey Realm.