The Tree of Ascension: A LitRPG Apocalypse (Peril's Prodigy Book 2) by Craig Kobayashi (ebook reader 7 inch TXT) 📕

from the dogs!" Daisy said excitedly. Then, in response to the questioning looks she was getting, the little Archmage went on. "We learned about this in school last year. The poem totally fits. Some of the first white people on the west coast abandoned a whole bunch of dogs on Hat Island. And dogs can be mean sometimes, but they don't lie."

One of the torches that had been to the left of the path was now moving off into the trees. As if a torch moving of its own accord through the fog wasn't strange enough, it also bobbed as if carried by some unseen creature with a slight limp.

Garath guessed that this creepy phenomenon probably explained the parchment’s line on following torches. Out of curiosity, Garath was tempted to follow it, but decided against it. That was just stupid. Especially considering what was about curiosity in regard to his current form.

Auto activated a BeastScape transformation, swelling and sprouting fur in random places. When a horn sprouted from what looked to Garath to be a quadrupedal bear with grey skin, he projected his laugh over the com channel.

*Don’t laugh at me, small, white, and fuzzy. This hybrid has the best tanking stats of anything I’ve come up with so far,* Auto explained.

*What do we call this one? A bearnocerus?* Garath asked.

“No way!” Daisy shouted. “It’s a Unibear!”

After a few more suggestions on what to call Auto's new form, they agreed on Unibear. And then, finally, they started down the torchlit path with Auto in the lead.

For almost the length of a football field, they didn’t run into anything but more ominously moving torches. Garath felt the soul taint urges to get a freaking move on to find something he could kill. A high-pitched laughter echoed from the deep woods. As the path led them around a sharp left turn, Garath finally caught a glimpse of what type of creatures were populating Chuchusullay.

His first thought when he saw the approaching pair was werewolves, but he quickly realized that wasn’t quite right. The similarities were there, though. They were definitely canids of some type, despite walking on hind legs. Their hulking forms were covered with thick dark fur, and wicked teeth poked out from beneath their dog-like snouts.

*Gnolls?* Garath asked as the Party came to a stop about thirty feet from the patrolling dungeon mobs.

*Looks like it,* Auto agreed.

Garath triggered his Inspect Ability on the gnoll to the left and quickly absorbed the information provided.

Gnoll

Humanoid

Health: 2,200/2,200

Level: 27

Station: Infantry

Mana: 0/0

Description: Carnivorous humanoids, magically enhanced from the original species Canis Familiaris.

Without further discussion, Auto trotted forward on all fours. The gnolls spotted his gargantuan form and high-pitched laughter erupted from their fog-distorted forms. They raised their weapons and rushed toward the Party. They met Auto’s charge, and were greeted by a horned monstrosity with a full head of steam. After they dodged Auto’s horn attack, the Chimerist tossed his head and upper torso into them, knocking them both to the ground but doing little damage. The damage dealers of the Party got into position as the gnolls got to their feet.

Garath sent Bill and the Golem to attack the dungeon monsters with a mental command and then issued orders for Handsome to spam Death Bolt. Atlas moved into melee range with an inhuman, spectacular leap and got to work slashing and stabbing. Just like Athios had taught her, Daisy gave Auto a full five seconds to get an aggro lock before she started casting.

The amount of HP these creatures had was impressive, sure, but the Party made quick work of them. Garath, Daisy, and Atlas were the best damage-dealers on the Dungeon team after all. In no time, two gnolls lay maimed and lifeless on the dirt path.

The Party took a quick breather to recover Health and Mana before moving on. One teal orb the size of the baseball levitated out of each of the corpses on the path and Daisy took it upon herself to tap them. The mysterious floating orbs each split into five smaller orbs at her touch, one of which shot into the chest of each Party member.

Begin combat log:

[you have been awarded 6,925 Experience Points for slaying Level 27 Gnoll]

[you have been awarded 6,925 Experience Points for slaying Level 27 Gnoll]

End combat log.

You have received 1.2 Mana Crystals.

Mana Crystals will be stored in your Items panel until spent, traded, or until your death.

You have received 1.2 Mana Crystals.

Mana Crystals will be stored in your Items panel until spent, traded, or until your death.

The path continued around the bend at the north tip of the island, winding east along the cliff before turning south to wrap around the other side of the island. After the bend, a large gnoll camp came into view. Garath didn’t find the camp particularly impressive, but that may have been due to his too-powerful sense of smell providing his brain with the sensory input.

Even from this distance, Garath's nose told him just how bad the canid creature’s cumulative hygiene really was. Apart from the aroma that made Garath think of a dog park on a rainy day, he was picking up an odd variant of smoke’s scent. There was definitely something burning, but it wasn't simply firewood. He was almost sure he was smelling burning black pepper and dog hair. Garath shrugged, unsure of what to make of the several odors all vying for dominance. He used his other senses to get a better feel for how to take on the gnoll camp in front of them.

The camp itself was the size of a Costco parking lot. There were only three structures that he could see from the Party’s current location. Towers stood about twenty feet high on either side of the path with a group of five gnolls between them. The towers looked to be made of rough stone and each had a domed roof fashioned from animal skin.

Twenty feet or so behind the camp’s first line of defense, there was