Knowledge Is Power 1 (1/2)

Within the depths of the Dryad’s Domain, directly beneath the pulsating dungeon core, there was a flash of light. The gangly figure of a half-plant half-doppelganger appeared out of thin air, its arms wrapped around a female spriggan of very generous proportions. The Hylt Creeper immediately released the tree-woman from the hug, but she continued to cling to it its back while pouting.

“T’was most unkind of you, milord,” complained Ambrosia. “Thou truly art selfish.”

“Yeah, I got a bit carried away,” replied Boxxy. “I shouldn’t have let that happen.”

Getting so excited over a shiny like that, it was rather pathetic in retrospect. Yet despite that, the greedy monster did not regret its actions. Even if it understood that it acted poorly in the grand scheme of things, some part of it had determined that the mithril chest called the Vessel of Dreams was worth the dryad’s ire. Then again, Ambrosia wasn’t anywhere as ticked off as it had expected her to be, despite abandoning her in the middle of a frozen wasteland of a dungeon for almost an entire day.

“Hmm…” let out the spriggan while raising an eyebrow. “Milord is still young, so I suppose indulging thyself every now and then is to be expected. So, with that in mind, I am willing to overlook this lapse in thy judgement.”

“I appreciate your consideration.”

Frankly speaking, she didn’t look mad at all. Sure, she had something akin to a scowl on her face and her tone wasn’t all that pleasant, but Boxxy could tell she was just acting. If anything, her touchy-feely behavior suggested she was actually quite happy that the shapeshifter went back to pick her up at all.

“However! I will only forgive thee if thy performs a favor for me!” added the plant lady.

“A favor, you say?”

Now this was a surprise. It suddenly became clear why Ambrosia was faking being upset. She probably wanted to use the Mimic’s actions as an excuse to make it do something on her behalf. This was the first time the dryad had ever asked for an actual ‘favor,’ which intrigued Boxxy somewhat. There was no way the ever-curious creature wouldn’t want to know what it was that would drive Ambrosia to act this way, so it decided to play along for now. Not to mention that calling her out on her bluff, no matter how transparent it had been, would probably not be a good idea.

“Uh, before we talk about favors or whatever, could you please let go of me?” asked Boxxy. “It’s getting kind of hard to breathe…”

“Ah! Apologies, milord.”

The spriggan let go of the doppelganger, allowing it to move freely once again. It wasn’t like she was actually strangling it though. Truthfully speaking the monster felt like it could turn the spriggan into splinters in an instant if it tried, though she would probably be genuinely upset about that. At the same time, her embrace was getting quite un-tasty, as those bark-covered hands of hers were hardly comfortable. Hence why it just opted to ask nicely with a bit of embellishment.

As for the dryad, she looked around the interior of her own trunk for a bit before speaking up again.

“I suppose I should slip into something more comfortable while I am at it.”

Five large leaves suddenly sprouted out of the wooden floor, forcing Boxxy to take a few steps back. They wrapped themselves around the spriggan, forming a cocoon of vegetation around her. A bright green light poured out of the gaps between them for a few seconds before they retreated back into the ground. The spriggan’s lifeless body then collapsed on the spot and started crumbling while the Hylt tree surrounding the place returned to its usual vibrant appearance. The original all-green Ambrosia then rose out of the floor, arching her back and stretching her arms as if she had just woken up.

“Ahh… ‘Tis much better!” she exclaimed with a relaxed sigh. “Being able to accompany milord was fun and all, but that shape was just way too cramped!”

She then suddenly remembered she was supposed to be upset, so she erased the soothing smile from her lips and adopted a more serious expression.

“Milord. Wilt thou hear mine request?”

“Listening is free,” responded the Mimic.

“Ah… ‘Tis harder to talk about than I thought… Um, doth milord perchance know of what spring means to the Hylt?”

“… I remember reading something about that, actually. It’s where your flowers are supposed to bloom at their fullest, right?”

“Indeed, though there is more to it. It’s the time of the year when pollination is most likely to succeed. That is what I want milord to assist me with.”

A chill ran down Boxxy’s spine, as it suddenly got a very bad feeling about where this ‘favor’ was headed.

“During our outing, I ran across a remarkable specimen.”

“… Specimen?” asked the shapeshifter dumbly.

“Yes, milord. T’was one of the dungeon’s overseers, a Mountain Alraune. She and I were very… compatible. I wish to cross-pollinate with one of her kind, but I know not whence they hail from.”

“So your favor… is to find one of those and bring it to you?”

“‘Tis so.”

“Oh, thank all that is shiny!” exclaimed Boxxy with genuine relief in its voice. “For a minute there I thought you were going to tell me to fertilize you or something.”

As ridiculous as it was, the Mimic could see Ambrosia blurting something like that out. It wasn’t dense enough not to realize the dryad had grown fond of it for whatever reason. This was definitely a good thing, as maintaining good relations with what was essentially its home base was of crucial importance. At the same time, however, it was wary of their relationship becoming more intimate. Boxxy already had its hands full pretending to care for Rowana as Keira and entertaining Snack’s urges, so it really didn’t want to waste time and energy on Ambrosia, too.

“… Ah!” exclaimed Ambrosia after a brief moment of silence.

“Ah, crap.”

‘Why didn’t I think of that?!’ was written all over her face. Did she seriously not consider that option? If Hylt trees could cross-pollinate with plant monsters, then surely Boxxy would be a viable candidate. Even if it was just a hybrid species.

“No, nevermind,” said the dryad immediately afterwards. “The whole point of cross-pollination is to absorb the traits of other plants in order to strengthen myself. There would be no merit to doing so with another of the Hylt, such as milord.”

“Oh.”

“… It is still possible though, if milord wishes it,” she added with a small smile.

“I’ll pass, thanks.”

Boxxy had a sneaking suspicion that the act, whatever it involved, would not be as fruitless as Ambrosia thought. After all, something like a Hero involving themselves with a dryad’s reproduction cycle was just the sort of thing the Agent of Chaos Skill liked to blow way out of proportion.

“So. A Mountain Alraune, huh?” said Boxxy, trying to change the topic. “I’m not familiar with that strain.”

It had heard mention of the flower-like monsters that lived on the southern continent, but its knowledge on the matter was extremely limited. It had no idea they could even be found on this continent since the temperate climate supposedly didn’t allow for it, so it didn’t bother studying them too thoroughly. Then again, Ambrosia said she met one of them in that ice-themed dungeon, so it probably meant this ‘Mountain’ variant was hardy enough to facilitate that.

Speaking of which, wouldn’t waiting around the Palace of the Crystal Maiden for a new guardian to appear and then kidnapping her be the easiest way to fulfil Ambrosia’s request? No, wait, that wouldn’t work. Goroth’s note mentioned something about Boxxy being banned from fighting the bosses in his dungeons. It would appear that, if Boxxy wanted to fulfil Ambrosia’s request, it would need to do so the hard way. And that was a big ‘if.’

“I can’t promise anything, but I’ll see what I can do,” it declared.

Strictly speaking, there wasn’t much in it for the Mimic personally, so it wanted to avoid wasting its time with this favor if at all possible.

“If thou finds me a suitable mate, then I swear to give thee a fittingly delicious reward.”

However, Ambrosia had a firm grasp on its personality and new just what to say to get its attention. In her eyes, Boxxy was the type of child that responded to rewards much better than it did to threats or punishment. Her hunch was proven correct when the shapeshifter’s attitude made a complete one-eighty at the mere mention of tasty compensation.

“Delicious reward? Like what?” it asked eagerly.

“Should the cross-pollination succeed, I will be able to augment the flavor of mine fruits and nectar. Truthfully speaking, it has been too long since the last time I hath done something like this, so their taste has actually grown a bit stale. However, I am confident that this Mountain Alraune will help them reach new heights.”

“Alright, I’ll do it!”

Boxxy didn’t give a flying damn about the fruits, but a dryad’s nectar was without a doubt one of the tastiest things that had ever crossed its tongue. Not to mention that Ambrosia used it liberally in many of her recipes to great effect. Therefore, the notion of having the fluid that flowed from her bosom to ‘reach new heights’ was something it wanted to make into a reality.

“I just need to find one by spring, right? It’s still the early stages of winter, so that should give me three or four months at the least!”

“It is good to see milord so motivated, but please do not sacrifice thine own health for this.”

“… Huh?”

“The… profane object lodged in thy back. Did thou not wish to address it?”

“Oh, right. The soulstone.”

Between looking for Fizzy, conquering a new dungeon and getting excited over new flavors, Boxxy had very nearly forgotten about the souvenir left over from its death-defying encounter with the Foundation. The same thing that might yet prove to be an only temporary lease on life. Now wasn’t the time to be sleeping around in shiny chests and seeking out new taste sensations.

“Ambrosia, I’ll be getting busy now. Will probably head out into town soon.”

“Have a safe trip, milord. I shall then take my leave to tend to mine branches, bark and roots. I suspect certain vermin may have wriggled their way in during our absence.”

The dryad sank into the ground, allowing Boxxy to concentrate on its Summon Familiar Skill. The pet demons it left behind in the dungeon had already withered away since they were too far away for the contract to function, so it had to summon them again. It first began with Snack, who appeared in front of it after several seconds of channeling and a flash of light. She had her usual provocative outfit, outrageous proportions and alluring smile. All of which were, in a fit of supreme irony, completely wasted on the one she wanted to entice the most with them.

“Hello, Master,” she said with a respectful bow. “Did you sleep well in your new bed?”

“Incredibly well, yes.”

“I am glad to hear that. Then could I ask you to stuff my ass full of-”

“Later,” it cut her off. “First I need you to visit Reggie and see what he found out about my soulstone.”

The doppelganger capo was supposedly chasing a promising lead before Boxxy left town, so it was good to find out what he had uncovered since then.

“At once, Master.”

The djinn took a bow and then left to fulfil her mission while her master got busy calling out the next familiar. Its MP had already been largely restored thanks to its Hylt Metabolism, so it wasted no time in summoning Claws. It took a moment to appreciate the webstalker’s newer, shinier countenance. Her ice-like carapace glistened enticingly under the yellow light of the dungeon core.

“Tktktktkt… H-h-hello, M-Master…”

The extra attention Drea was getting as Boxxy ogled her only made the arachnid demoness fidget that much more than usual, though her nervous ticks only served to amplify her shininess. Even if they were minute, the spontaneous movements of her body constantly changed up the angle the light hit her multi-faceted carapace at. Between her and the mithril treasure chest known as the Vessel of Dreams, Boxxy felt like it was perhaps a good thing Fizzy wasn’t around right now.

Otherwise it just might have gone comatose from shininess overload.

“Living shinies are the best shinies after all,” it mumbled in a satisfied manner.

Truthfully speaking, it could probably waste hours just staring at her and it wouldn’t regret it a single bit. In fact, it had already done so multiple times with the absent golem. Even if it had grown somewhat jaded and accustomed to the allure of gold, these constantly changing visages held a certain brilliance that no inanimate object could replicate. That was why it was so adamant about reclaiming the former gnome in the first place, as it could never get tired of it. No statue could ever hope to match her radiance for long. Even the luster of that chest it got from Goroth would grow dull and tired if given enough time.

Boxxy shook the errant thoughts away and turned its attention back to Claws. There was a time and place for appreciating shiny things, but right now it needed to focus on the task at hand.

“Claws! Go out and find me someone tasty and deliver them to Ambrosia. I don’t care if it takes all day or how far you have to go, just get me the highest quality meat around!”