Chapter 346: His Name is Oreo
"Do not make any sudden movements, Syris," Vex purred, a wicked smile curling his lips. "I would hate for my hand to slip."
Syris halted dead in his tracks, his chest heaving as he fought down the urge to lunge forward and rip the trickster fox to shreds. He could not risk it. Vex was fast, and he could easily cut her throat in less than a second. The Snake King was completely, utterly powerless.
"What do you want, Fox?" Syris snarled, his voice a low, cold rumble that echoed off the damp stone walls.
"Oh, nothing much," Vex hummed cheerfully, keeping his orange eyes fixed on the surrounding guards. "I just need to borrow the Little Rose for a bit. I require her assistance to get something I want."
Ren swallowed hard, the sharp tip of the claw pressing uncomfortably against her pulse. She didn’t need to ask what the fox was after. She already knew he was referring to Vara’s cub.
Despite the life-threatening hostage situation, Ren felt a wave of calm wash over her. She looked at Syris. The cold-blooded King looked so devastated, so broken with fear and anger that a twinge of genuine guilt tugged at her chest.
"Syris, don’t worry," Ren called out, her voice remarkably steady despite the claw at her neck. "It’s time for me to return to the forest anyway. My time here is over and Kael is waiting for me. I’ll be back."
Syris’s jaw clenched so tight it looked like it might shatter. The promise of her return warred with the irritating reality of seeing her in the clutches of his enemy. His amethyst eyes burned with a dark, explosive fury.
"I swear to you, Fox," Syris vowed, his voice dripping with venomous promise. "I will kill you one day."
Vex merely smirked, completely unfazed by the threat. "Take a number, Your Majesty. The line is getting quite long."
Keeping his body carefully positioned behind Ren, Vex began to back away from the center of the courtyard. He faced Syris and his glaring guards the entire time, his claw unwavering at Ren’s throat, steering her down the stone steps and toward the dark, murky waters of the stone docks.
One of the long, flat-bottomed wooden boats used by the snake guards bobbed gently against the pier.
"Get in," Vex murmured into her ear.
Ren stepped carefully into the wooden boat, her bare feet slipping slightly on the damp floorboards. Vex followed closely behind, never breaking his hold or his line of sight with the furious Snake King watching them from above the docks.
"Row," Vex instructed cheerfully, nodding toward the long wooden paddle resting in the center of the boat.
Ren grabbed the paddle with both hands. With Vex still maintaining the theatrical hostage hold from behind, she dug the oar into the black sludge and pushed off the pier.
The boat glided silently into the treacherous, mist-covered waters of the dark swamp. They moved further and further away, until the looming black spires of the Onyx Palace finally began to fade into the distance, swallowed up by the thick, rolling fog.
It was night after all, and the swamp transformed from just depressing and creepy into something even more depressing and creepy. The silver moonlight struggled to pierce the dense, twisted canopy of the large trees. The water around them bubbled and gurgled with unseen life, and a chorus of strange, unsettling clicking sounds echoed from the dense reeds.
When they were finally far enough away that the palace was completely obscured by the fog, the tension in the boat abruptly shifted.
Ren stopped rowing.
She let out a long, exasperated sigh. Without a single trace of fear or hesitation, she casually lifted her hand and easily slapped Vex’s sharp claw away from her throat.
Smack.
"Okay, the audience is gone. Show’s over," Ren huffed, turning around. She forcefully pushed the wooden paddle into Vex’s chest, forcing the Fox Shaman to catch it before it hit the floorboards. "Here. You row. I’m taking a break."
Ren marched to the opposite end of the small wooden boat and sat down with a loud, dramatic huff, crossing her arms over her chest.
Vex blinked, staring down at the paddle in his hands, a bit surprised by the sudden drop in her hostage persona.
Ren glared at him from across the boat. "Finally. Now that we are done with the amateur theater production, you can tell me what exactly you want with Oreo."
Vex paused, leaning his weight against the long wooden oar. His brows furrowed in deep confusion. His fluffy orange ears twitched. "Oreo? What in the world is an Oreo?"
Ren rolled her eyes, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "The cub! The little black and white tiger cub. I named him Oreo."
Vex stared at her for a long moment. Slowly, his face contorted into a mask of visible displeasure. He frowned deeply, his nose wrinkling as if he had just smelled something rotting in the sun.
"You named him... Oreo?" Vex repeated, his voice laced with genuine offense. "You took a conscious feral, a creature born of raw curse and untold power, the literal pinnacle of my research... and you named it Oreo?"
"He is named after the greatest and most beautiful biscuit of all time," Ren defended stubbornly. "And he’s black and white, so Oreo."
"That is unacceptable," Vex groaned, rubbing his temples as if she were giving him a migraine. "Such a powerful beast cannot be named Oreo. It is an insult to his biology."
Ren crossed her arms tighter. "Why not? Again, he’s black and white! He’s sweet. It fits perfectly."
"Because no one is going to be intimidated by a beast named Oreo!" Vex argued, gesturing wildly with his free hand. "Imagine him charging into battle, a massive, towering feral monster, and his enemies hear his name and die of laughter! He needs a name that commands respect. Something that screams monster!"
Vex tapped his chin thoughtfully, his orange eyes gleaming as he brainstormed. "He should be called Bloodfang! Or Skull-Crusher! Or Doom-Bringer!"
"No," Ren shot down the suggestions instantly, deadpan. "Those sound like names a thirteen-year-old boy gives his video game characters. His name is Oreo. End of discussion."
Vex opened his mouth to protest, but Ren held up a hand.
"I am not arguing about the cub’s name with you anymore, Vex," Ren stated firmly. "You still haven’t told me what you actually want with Oreo."
Vex smirked, the sly confidence returning to his features. He pushed the paddle into the dark water, guiding the boat through a cluster of glowing blue mushrooms. "I will tell you my grand plan when your bird gives me the cub."
Ren sighed, pulling her knees up to her chest. "Well, good luck with that. I honestly do not know where Altair is. He always does whatever he wants and goes wherever he wants, and he never tells me where he’s going."
Vex chuckled softly. His orange eyes slowly scanned the dark trees surrounding them.
"Oh, I am quite sure he is watching us right now," Vex murmured, a smile curling his lips.
Ren didn’t bother to take a look around. Not only would she not be able to see anything anyway, but the swamp was creepy enough during the day. At night, it was a literal nightmare.
She could hear the wet slithering of bodies moving through the reeds just out of sight. Strange, glowing yellow eyes blinked at them from the murky depths of the water. The trees twisted like skeletal fingers reaching down to snatch them.
If her Golden Eagle was out there, lurking silently in the terrifying, pitch-black shadows of the canopy, she was scared out of her mind to look up and try to find him. She kept her gaze strictly inside the boat, refusing to look anywhere else.
Suddenly, a bright, cheerful sound broke the eerie tension clouding her mind.
Ding!
A familiar blue holographic screen popped up right in front of Ren’s face.
[Quest Completion Alert! The Great Escape!] [Objective: Free Vex the Fox Shaman from jail!] [Completed!] [Reward: The Log Book of the Northern Mountains!]
An ancient-looking leather-bound book materialized directly into her invisible inventory.
Ren’s face lit up. She was very happy with this development. She had been through so much yesterday alone. She survived a scary dungeon with actual boobie traps, and she cooked the feast of all feasts, scoring a high-tier lore item made the hassle feel like a decent day’s work.
The mention of the Northern Mountains sparked a sudden realization in her mind. She had a question that she needed to ask the fox sitting across from her.
"Hey, Vex," Ren said, looking at him, her voice cutting through the odd sounds of the dark swamp.
Vex paused his rowing, tilting his head curiously. "Yes, Little Rose?"
Ren leaned forward, her green eyes serious. "Do you remember that place we went under the swamp? The one with the big waterfall, when I went to save you that night?"