Chapter 3 – Westward Winds and a Familiar Face
The sky above Noobia shimred beneath a soft morning sun. Birds chirped lazily, and the crisp wind rustled the long grass as Tyler left the plaza, clutching his stone sword with anticipation. He hadn’t forgotten the shady Cupcake Crab’s strange quest — finding colourful shells. He figured he’d start with that before venturing further.
A quick search around the outskirts of town yielded two promising finds.
[Acquired Item: Red Shell]
[Acquired Item: Green Shell]
Tyler grinned. “Two already. Nice.”
His enthusiasm was short-lived. A lavender glint in the grass turned out to be nothing more than a squished pile of moonberries.
“…Ugh, gross.” He sighed and shook his hands clean. “Guess I’ll co back later for the rest.”
He turned to the western trail, where tall grass swayed and trees stood like silent sentinels. It was ti to venture out.
As he moved deeper into the forest, the mobs grew noticeably stronger. He paused at the edge of a clearing where three salmon-crow hybrids shrieked to one another.
[Enemy Identified: Salmon-Crow, Level 17]
[Enemy Identified: Salmon-Crow, Level 19]
[Enemy Identified: Salmon-Crow, Level 20]
“Too risky,” Tyler muttered and backpedalled.
He spotted a lone frog-goat hybrid munching leaves beside a stump.
[Enemy Identified: Frog-Goat, Level 8]
“Now that’s more like it.”
Tyler opened his stat window and allocated both available points to Power Regen.
[Attribute Points: 2 → 0]
[Power Regen: 3]
[PE: 13/13]
He activated [Sprint], rushing in from behind, striking once, and imdiately retreating. The mob lunged, but Tyler had already moved past its range. A few more back-and-forths and the creature collapsed.
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[XP Gained: 45]
[Level Up! Level 3 → 4]
[HP Restored]
[Attribute Points: 1]
He ventured deeper. Spotting a trio of duck-mouse hybrids loitering near a rock, Tyler crept behind them and struck one quickly, leading it away before it alerted the others.
[Enemy Identified: Duck-Mouse, Level 6 x3]
One by one, he defeated them.
[ 20 XP]
[Level Up! Level 4 → 5]
[HP Restored]
[Attribute Points: 1]
[ 20 XP]
[Level Up! Level 5 → 6]
[HP Restored]
[Attribute Points: 1]
He repeated this tactic across the region, gaining experience steadily. When he reached Level 8, he spotted a massive creature grazing ahead—a rhino-duck hybrid.
[Enemy Identified: Rhino-Duck, Level 15]
“Alright… let’s see how far I’ve co.”
He darted in, landed a blow, and leapt back. The beast turned with a roar and charged. Tyler evaded, but one of its legs clipped his side.
[HP: 74/120]
Tyler winced. “Can’t get hit again.”
He activated [Sprint]—
[PE: 1/13]
“Out of energy?” he hissed. Desperation kicked in. He reached into his pouch.
[Item Consud: Rushers]
[Description: Boosts movent speed by twice for 10 seconds.]
Zipping around the beast, he led it on a wild chase. Eventually, the mob paused and began trudging back to its spot.
He stood there panting. “That was too close. I should just—”
But then, a flicker of green caught his eye—the mob’s HP was nearly depleted. Acting on instinct, Tyler charged in, slamd his sword into the mob’s flank, and watched it vanish in a poof of light.
[Enemy Defeated: Level 15 Rhino-Duck]
[XP Gained: 90]
[Level Up! Level 8 → 10]
[HP Restored]
[Attribute Points: 2]
“YES!” he shouted. Then more quietly, “…But I’m not doing that again without a plan.”
Past the tree line, a town ca into view—larger, windier, and built around a river.
At its entrance spun a glowing green disc embedded in a stone pedestal.
[Teleporter Registered: Yandi]
[Fast Travel Unlocked]
“Nice,” Tyler breathed. “That’ll save ti.”
Next to the teleporter was a cozy tent, embroidered in gold thread and decorated with feathers and maps. Inside was a familiar voice.
“Tyler!”
He froze.
There sat a fluffy Turtle-Yeti hybrid on a low wooden chair.
“It’s ! MILO!”
Tyler blinked. “What the—”
Milo stood up, stumbled forward, and grabbed him. “I woke up in a TREEHOUSE! Like, suspended in the middle of nowhere. There was a storm, then it went dark and the next thing I knew—”
He suddenly swayed. “I-I… have nowhere to go… will you let … follow you?”
Milo fainted into Tyler’s arms.
“Whoa, hey!” Tyler caught him. “Milo?”
“Don’t worry,” a calm voice said. An alpaca-goat hybrid stepped from behind a curtain.
[Na: Shooba] [Species: Alpaca Goat]
[Shop: Shooba’s Shack O’ Stuff]
“He always says that. Standard [Companion] prompt. His body’s still adjusting. Poor guy.”
Shooba offered Tyler a chair. “I found him collapsed outside my shop. Patched him up, gave him a place to stay. He’s too clumsy to travel alone.”
Tyler nodded slowly. “Thanks. Guess I owe you.”
“You want to explore the world?” Shooba asked. “I sell comfort kits for travellers—tents, flint, ropes, even enchanted blankets.”
“I might co back for those,” Tyler said. “Right now, I need to understand what’s going on.”
Just then, Milo stirred. “Ughh… wait… Tyler?”
“I’m here,” Tyler said, offering a hand.
Milo grabbed it. “Took you long enough.”
The ga interface chid.
[Would you like to appoint [Milo] as your companion?] [Yes] | [No]
Tyler smiled and selected:
[Yes]
[Milo has joined your party!]
[Companion: Milo] [Species: Turtle Yeti]
[Level: 4]
[Skills: Absolute Defence, Freeze Core]
Together, they stepped out of Shooba’s tent, the road ahead open for the first ti.
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