Snagged In Vines

//Let's get this started. As usual, donate to Patre0n for advanced chapters. Help me r8each my goal.

Patre0n.com/ShadowDrev

Goal: $279/$540

Game Night on my discord happens every Friday at 10pm - 1am EST so swing by and hang out for a bit.

Discord:

https://discord.gg/39PmeFK

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

Under normal circumstances, Chion probably wouldn't have allowed himself to wander off with someone he had just met and knew almost nothing about, erring on the side of caution and keeping to a place in the open. However, these circumstances were very different. He was alone and in a hostile environment, a place where the occupants were arguably much more lethal than the person demanding his attention. Autumn Lowe seemed to be, for the most part, the safest option in terms of C.C's Spa and Resort, and with any luck, Chion reasoned he could even pry some information out of her. If all else failed, he could simply freeze her if things turned south, but it was definitely a last resort tactic. Utilizing his magic was something he regarded as a secondary measure, especially considering how much he had already prepared for most situations.

Furthermore, icing someone over could seriously injure them if he wasn't careful, and he wasn't too keen on hurting someone around the same age as himself.

Autumn seemed to be heading for a much more discreet location towards the edge of the island, away from the prying eyes of others. Supposedly, the young girl had something that she wanted to show him, but that was most likely a lie since the only thing in the direction she was heading was a patch of forest followed shortly by a cliff edge.

In reality, she most likely wanted to talk without the judging stares of her fellow island dwellers, which the white-haired individual could respect.

"So, how old are you?" Chion queried as the two left the wide open expanse of white marble. "You said you were born and raised here. This place must have been here for quite a long time if that's the case."

"I'm 12," Autumn replied, stepping through some dense foliage. Maybe it was the youths active imagination or a budding dementia but the plants seemed to move out of the girls' way, the leaves and branches barely brushing her skin whilst slapping Chion in the face. "The Spa has been around for a few centuries from what I'm aware of, based on the stories I've heard and what I've listened to. Lady Circe built it herself with the help of her followers and other choice individuals who weren't named and were written off. Most likely, male workers that were turned into pigs shortly after its completion. Though she turns them into guinea pigs nowadays since keeping them was apparently a hassle."

(("Guinea Pigs, huh?")) Chion frowned. He had been thinking about it for a minute but had only circumstantial evidence to back it up. With Autumn's words, though, it was all but confirmed. (("So that WAS a real pirate ship out front. And all of those other vessels...."))

Everything made sense. The aquatic vessels, the overly specific vow Circe made, the cages, the lack of men, the Shakeovers, the Charmspeak used on Luke, the hostile stares from the residents. The sorceress had changed little over the years, it seemed, still doing exactly what she had done during the era of Odysseus, her poor disposition towards men remaining as it was. Had Chion not made the call with the weird colored drinks, their journey would have come to an abrupt end. Attending dinner would likely result in the same outcome as consuming the Shakeover.

Not that the realization even mattered. They were only staying long enough to find the Fleece.

Not a second longer.

"So, every man who ever came here was turned into an overgrown rar?" Chion moved a branch out of the way with his forearm. "No one has escaped in all that time?"

"Firstly, they aren't overgrown rats," Autumn turned her head slightly, the corner of her turquoise hues locking onto the youth. "They're balls of love and cuteness that far surpass the human imagination. Show some respect to the fluff, you heathen."

The teen was unable to speak for a second, thrown off by the girls response, but quickly recollected himself.

"Of course. How could I have been mistaken." Chion rolled his eyes. "Adorable little...things. Just like Chihuahuas."

"The heck is a Chee-Wa-Wa?" Autumn stopped walking for a second. "An animal? Some kind of food?"

"You don't know what-"

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

"Are you a resident in the resort orrrr maybe a worker or daughter of one of said workers?"

"Daughter. Born and raised here."

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

(("She never left the island.")) Chion blinked a few times. (("And wasn't taught about the outside world? Surely not..."))

"Autumn...whose the current president of the United States?"

Autumn touched a finger to her chin and narrowed her brows. "Bob Marley?"

"You got it," Chion agreed, giving her a thumbs up. "Our 69th president, Bob Marley. You could say that he's quite an 'artistic' politician. Probably the greatest of his time. I'm honestly surprised you knew who it was, considering you never saw the outside world."

"It's not like I'm COMPLETELY shut off from everything." The black haired girl resumed her walk, jumping over a log with grace and elegance. "I was taught reading and writing and things about the Greeks' past history. The Odyssey, The Iliad, Greek Philsophers, the gods and goddesses. I read fantasy novels and manga, and I even study the world map when I get bored. The outside world is a definite mystery, but I have some knowledge about things. I can't study everything, but I do what I can with what I can get my hands on. Knowing whose president is a simple task at the very least."

"Right," Chion said, stifling a rising laugh. "Can't put anything past you."

"Whyd you ask that question, by the way?" Autumn stopped in the middle of a small clearing, almost near the edge of the cliff. "Does it have something to do with the Chee-Woah-Wan?"

"Chihuahua."

"Same thing."

"Sounded like you were speaking a different language, honestly."

Autumn raised an eyebrow. "What'd I sound like?"

"Chinese."

"Isn't that kinda racist?"

"You know what racism is?" Chion questioned, tilting his head.

"Books have plenty of depictions regarding it. Including the Greek past." Autumn shrugged. "Discrimination seems to be a common factor with humanity. You seem to fall into that category."

"It's only racist if you MAKE it racist." Chion grinned. "Only a racist would make it racist. So, are you a racist?"

"Only to you."

"That doesn't even make any sense."

"Just like your face doesn't make any sense," Autumn rebuttalled.

"You truly are the voice of a generation."

"And you're the voice of-"

BANG!! SSHHHHHHHHH!

Before the girl could finish her sentence, an explosion resonated through the air, cutting her off and drawing the immediate attention of the dual youths. At the peak of the cloudless sky, a ball of light was slowly descending, a burning sphere Illuminating the area more than it already was. No matter where one was on the island, it was impossible to miss, almost as if it was a second sun.

(("The Flare Gun?")) Chion whirled on his heels. (("Luke!!"))

Without a second thought, the white-haired youth broke into a sprint, heading in the direction of the flares' origin. However, before he could take more than a couple of steps, something snapped around his ankle and yanked it backward, forcing him onto the damp ground. Another obstruction coiled around his other ankle, a familiar feeling ensnaring him with far more strength than he could ever hope to match. Even if he were to grab onto a tree to prevent from being dragged, it would've been completely futile.

"What the-"

"Where do you think you're going?" Autumn asked.

Chion glanced back briefly as he was pulled off the ground and into the air. Two more thick ropes twisted around each wrist, pulling them apart.

"I WAS going to help my friend but...." Chion glanced at his feet and hands. "I guess I can hang around for a bit. See the sights. Take in the sunlight like my fellow tree buddies. Not like I have anything better to do."

"You're gonna stay here. I'LL check on your friend." Autumn raised her hands. A number of extra vines rose and dropped from the trees. With a flick of her wrists, they entangled themselves around Chion's entire body. "If you go now, Circe might turn you into a guinea pig. I'm not sure about Annabell and Luke but I can at least protect you. All you have to do is hang around until after dinner. Then I'll let you down and you can leave the island without her ever realizing."

"Orrrrr, you could let me down and pretend we did that." Chion gave the rope a few trial pulls while he talked, his mind running a mile a minute.

"Sorry. No can do." The girl broke into a run, dashing past the captured ice Mage. "I'll send Luke your regards."

Autumn disappeared into the brush before Chion could utter any sort of objection. Letting out a breath of visible air, the youth narrowed his eyes in concentration and reached deep within himself. The surrounding temperature plummeted faster than a father leaving to get milk, plunging the immediate area into a perpetual ice age without the snow. Ice traveled from the teens' wrists and onton the vines that encased his hands. Everything touching Chions' bare skin was covered in frost and immediately frozen to the very core.

After a minute of this, the youth jerked his appendages and snapped the vines bit by bit, freeing himself and dropping to the ground.

"Second time I was strung up," Chion murmured, rubbing his arms, getting the blood flowing. "I'm sensing a pattern here. At least I wasn't drenched in inferiority."

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

There were many things Luke had seen in his lifetime, quite a number of events that had pretty much numbed him to any sort of significant surprises. In the world of myth and legend, it wasn't hard to imagine the impossible becoming possible, especially if one already had a narrow view of the world to begin with, such as mortals or fresh demigods. Of course, even with his casual interactions with the strange and impossible, Luke hadn't exactly expected to be led by a wolf the size of a large horse. Especially one that seemed to be even smarter than he himself was. At least, he wasn't expecting a wolf that was even close to being any sort of friendly.

The blonde male had been following the canine for about five minutes, weaving through the edges of C.C's Spa and Resort and completely avoiding any women that happened to move too close to him.

There was a very good chance he could wind up with a knife to the back if he wasn't too careful.

Even with the wolf leading the way, the women didn't seem to care about the entity in the slightest, nor did they let it deter them from getting closer. If looks could kill, Luke reckoned he would already be dead, the looks of disgust and hatred only increasing the further he traveled in the Resorts depths. He had no idea what the wolf wanted to show him, but he hoped it was quick. With the way things were developing, it was highly likely that a fight was on the verge of breaking out. If that happened, he was seriously outnumbered and most likely outclassed if any of them could use a decent amount of magic.

(("Should I call Chion?")) Luke asked himself, hand palming the flare gun strapped to his hip. (("This would sort of count as an emergency."))

After a moment of contemplation, he removed his hand from the gun and instead placed it onto his swords hilt, giving all passerbys an equivalent look to theirs. In this instance, he had to handle things himself. He was given a mission and needed to pull his own weight without having a much younger camper bail him out when going got tough. If he couldn't handle something like this, than what was the point of going on the quest. If he needed to cut the women down one by one to fulfill his goal, then that's just how it had to be.

Eventually, the wolf and Luke left the open marble buildings and made their way into the dense forest, diving into the depths of the forest cluttering the other half of the island. On this side, the trees and wildlife were left unchecked, the sound of various animals echoing through the area. Luscious plants with various fruits and flowers could be seen everywhere, as if it was someone's own personal garden. There was a beaten path large enough for two people walking side by side with some beautiful vegetation lining the edges. It was as if Demeter herself had come down and given it her blessing. Even to Luke who didn't really care that much, slowed down to admire the shrubbery.

"These were grown with magic most likely," Luke muttered as he knelt down and palmer a fresh red rose. "Maybe a daughter of Demeter or a student of Circe? Or maybe...."

After a few moments of observation, the blonde rose back to his feet.

"The Fleece could be around here."

A chill ran down his spine the moment he said that, as if he had suddenly been hugged by Jack Frost himself. A feeling of danger overwhelmed him, his instincts kicking into high gear. Without hesitation, he yanked his sword out of its sheath and whirled around to face the new threat.

There was nobody there.

(("Am I going crazy?")) Luke glanced back and forth, assuring that he was truly alone.

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

{{"When you're ready to serve me and prove your loyalty, get rid of Chion Pagos. Do as you wish with the girl. I don't need Jokers in this deck of cards."}}

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

(("Stupid question,")) Luke answered internally. (("Of course I am."))

Grrrrrrr.

As the young man was putting his sword back into its holster, Luke was bumped with something cold and wet. Glancing back, he met face to face with the wolf from before. The sensation he had felt was actually the canine shoving Luke's arm with its nose, demanding his attention.

"Oh, it's you. You came back?"

Without a word, the wolf knelt down onto the ground, it's head resting on the floor. Even to the untrained eye, its message was quite clear.

"You sure?" Luke asked, moving to the wolfs side. "I'm fine with walking."

Letting out a low growl, the wolf stayed in place, giving the blonde an answer that was impossible to misinterpret. Shrugging his shoulders, Luke climbed onto the monsters back and repositioned himself as best he could manage, grabbing the roots of the canines fur to keep from sliding off. When the beast rose onto his feet, the blonde almost faceplanted but managed to keep himself upright.

Without another sound, the wolf broke into a steady jog, casually making the trees look like blurs.

Within half a minute of hitching a ride on the entity, they arrived at the very edge of the island, a cliff overlooking the sea. There were small little smooth islands not too far from the base that gave made the ocean look a bit bulkier, though Luke hadn't seen any other spots of land on their way in.

"So, this is what you wanted to show me?" Luke queried as he slipped off the wolfs back. "I mean, it's a very nice vie-"

The 'Islands' moved, sinking into the depths. The son of Hermes felt the words catch in his throat as he watched the thing, whatever it was, slide just beneath the surface of the ocean, it's size completely unknown. A long tentacle bigger than two or three of the pirate ship from earlier breached the surface, giant, grotesque suckers wiggling along with its slimy body. The appendage twisted towards Luke with slowness, as if curious before diving back into the sea.

Wordlessly, the blonde grabbed the flare gun from his hip, aimed upwards, and fired.

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

If another person subs to Patre0n today, I'll post another 3k word chapter onto Webnovel, if not, I'll just upload it onto Patre0n. Either way, I got one more coming out.

Sorry for the wait, getting back into the groove.