Current EP: 11,500 / 1,000,000
Back in Hueco Mundo, things went back to the usual.
Endless night.
Endless sand.
Endless dumb Hollows eating each other like it was an all-you-can-eat buffet with no rules.
I, however — being an intellectual (relatively speaking) — had a better idea.
Climb a Quartz Tree.
Now, you might be thinking, "Why the hell would a 20-meter tall Gillian want to climb a giant, brittle tree made of spiritual crystal in the middle of a desert?"
Well.
Because no one's done it.
And because my Bonus EP for Stupidity system said dumb ideas paid well.
And frankly… I wanted those points.
I stomped my way to the biggest quartz tree I could find.
It towered over the desert like a glittering, jagged tower of doom.
The other Hollows gave me a wide berth.
Not because I was scary — but because they figured any Gillian about to climb a damn tree had lost his mind.
They weren't wrong.
"GRROOOOH!"
(Translation: "I'M GONNA DO IT!")
I wrapped my massive clawed hands around the trunk and started climbing.
Crack.
The tree groaned.
Snap.
A branch shattered under my weight.
Dust rained down.
A few smaller Hollows panicked and ran, thinking the sky was falling.
Halfway up, I slipped and almost faceplanted.
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Performed 'High Altitude Idiocy' — +600 EP]
Current EP: 12,100 / 1,000,000
Nice.
I kept going.
Climbed higher and higher until Hueco Mundo looked like a cracked fish tank from above.
At the top, I did what any self-respecting Hollow would do.
I roared.
A big, echoing, idiot's roar.
"GRROOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!"
The sound made the tree shake.
A few nearby rocks exploded for no reason.
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Performed 'Echoing Roar of Pointless Triumph' — +700 EP]
Current EP: 12,800 / 1,000,000
I laughed.
Which, as a Gillian, mostly sounded like a series of demonic grunts and wheezes.
Then, of course… the branch beneath me snapped.
I plummeted six stories down, hitting branches, snapping quartz limbs, and stirring up a cloud of sand.
I hit the ground with an earth-shaking BOOM.
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Performed 'Gravity Testing' — +500 EP]
Current EP: 13,300 / 1,000,000
I lay there, staring at the endless night sky of Hueco Mundo, my huge Gillian body half-buried in sand.
And for a moment, I questioned my life choices.
…Just kidding.
I don't think that far ahead.
"GRROOOOOH!"
(Translation: "TOTALLY WORTH IT!")
And then, naturally, a passing Hollow tried to nibble on my foot.
I kicked it like a soccer ball, sending it flying over a dune.
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Performed 'Hollow Soccer' — +400 EP]
Current EP: 13,700 / 1,000,000
The grind continues.
One stupid idea at a time.