Chapter 45: Baboon Models?
Silas and Gromda moved through the forest with no direction in mind. Well, Silas had the plan to find a place to camp for the night, check his rewards from the system if any, and maybe... Ahem! He is very serious here. Anyone watching them from afar would have the urge to laugh. Gromda was 7-feet-tall, muscular, and looked more mature than the boy who held her by the hand and led her through the forest. It would have been normal if she hadn’t had an innocent expression. This explained a lot of things. Because she was deemed ugly, she wasn’t allowed out of the village, and so she was more or less an inexperienced adult. But that would change soon. The first intense session was just the beginning. More was bound to follow, possibly when they reached somewhere to camp for the time being. Just thinking about it made Silas’s cock harden in his soaked pants, and Gromda noticed the bulge in his pants. She couldn’t help but gulp and lick her lips.
Using Thread Sight and Thread Perception, Silas moved through the forest as if he knew the place by heart, dodging stray monsters and natural traps. He wasn’t experienced or anything like that. Hell, he barely concentrated in Rift Survival classes. He was only able to perform this feat thanks to his ability, and this was just stage 1. What would stage 2 give? He couldn’t wait to find out.
But there were more important things to think about now, and the first was getting a place to rest. He still felt like he’d missed a very good opportunity. Gromda’s hut was very good. Who would’ve thought that she was still new to sex and would scream? And who would’ve thought that he would be too aroused by her animalistic prowess and pound her to oblivion?!
Soon, they reached a small clearing beneath a natural canopy formed by several enormous trees. The branches intertwined overhead, creating a roof of leaves that blocked most of the moonlight. The ground was relatively dry, and a nearby stream provided access to water.
To Silas, it looked perfect: a place to rest, recover, think, check what rewards the system had given him, and maybe, you know... Don’t get him wrong. Gromda was just too... enticing and appetizing.
"This place looks good."
Gromda nodded immediately. "Good place."
"See? Even the local agrees."
"What local?" The orc woman tilted her head.
"You."
"I local?"
"Never mind."
Silas stepped into the clearing and stopped.
"..."
Something felt wrong. His Thread Sight activated instinctively, and thousands of threads appeared around him. Most belonged to trees, plants, and small animals. The usual. But he noticed dozens of threads converging toward a large rocky formation nearby, showing hostility, curiosity, and hunger.
Silas immediately raised an eyebrow.
"What the..."
A rustling sound emerged from above, then another, and several more. The trees began shaking, and then they appeared. Silas blinked in confusion and disbelief.
"..."
His brain struggled to process what he was seeing. Large creatures dropped from the trees. They were humanoid, covered in fur, long-limbed, and powerful. At least they felt powerful. They were baboons, or at least they looked like baboons, until he noticed the details: long flowing hair, braided hair, curled hair, and decorated hair. Some had flowers woven into their fur. Others wore crude ornaments. One had what looked suspiciously like colorful powder around its eyes. Another had leaves arranged like a fashionable cape.
Silas stared, and the creatures stared back. A long silence followed. Then Silas pointed.
"What the hell?"
More baboons appeared, at least twenty. One stepped forward and flipped its hair, causing Silas to almost choke.
"Baboon models?"
The entire clearing went silent; even Gromda looked confused. The lead baboon’s eye twitched. Silas immediately realized he may have said something offensive. He stupidly, or maybe he wasn’t, but he forgot that he could now speak the language of intelligent species, and the baboons were intelligent. Yes, he forgot that, but was it really his fault? If he had concentrated, he would have seen something blinking by his side with a laughing emoji.
Unfortunately, it was already too late. The lead baboon released a furious screech.
"SKREEEEEEEEE!"
Every other baboon joined in.
"SKREEEEE!"
"SKREEEEE!"
"SKREEEEE!"
The forest exploded into chaos.
"They look angry."
"Really, Gromda?!"
A rock flew toward his face, and Silas dodged. Another followed, and in no time, it was literally raining rocks.
"They are definitely angry!"
The baboons charged. They were fast: ridiculously fast. One leaped from a tree, while another launched itself from a boulder. Silas activated Thread Perception, and immediately, movement paths appeared.
He ducked beneath one attacker, sidestepped another, and jumped over a sweeping tail. The lead baboon crashed into a tree instead, and the entire trunk shook.
"Why are they so strong?!"
The answer came quickly when the creature punched the tree. The tree exploded.
"..."
"..."
Silas and Gromda exchanged a glance.
"Run?" Gromda suggested.
"Run."
They immediately turned around. The baboons chased them. Of course they did. Silas was beginning to suspect the rift had a personal grudge against him: if only he knew how true it was. Behind them, dozens of furious baboon models continued their pursuit, some screeching, throwing rocks, and some swinging through the trees. One even stopped briefly to adjust its hair before continuing the chase.
"What kind of cursed place is this?!"
The lead baboon screeched again. Apparently, it didn’t appreciate his criticism. The chase continued deeper into the forest as Silas desperately searched for another place to camp, preferably one without fashion-conscious baboons. But that was a pipe dream.
The chase continued through the forest. Branches whipped past them, and leaves scattered everywhere. Behind them, the furious baboons refused to give up. Then disaster struck. Gromda’s foot caught on an exposed root.
"Ah!"
The giant orc stumbled and fell heavily onto the forest floor. Silas immediately stopped. The lead baboon saw the opportunity, and without hesitation, it launched itself forward. The creature shot through the air like a cannonball, aiming directly for Gromda. Gromda’s eyes widened.
Everything happened in an instant. Silas turned, his Thread Sight activating automatically, and the baboon’s path became clear. He moved, and the next moment, he was standing in front of Gromda.
The baboon barely had time to react as Silas’s fist connected squarely with its face. The creature’s head snapped backward, its body spinning through the air, and it crashed through several trees.
The pursuing baboons froze.
"...Huh."
The leader didn’t get back up. The other baboons slowly looked at where their leader had disappeared, then back at Silas. A very awkward silence followed.
"Was that too hard?" Silas asked.
