Perytos looked around. The many trees were converging on his path as usual, but something else grasped at his attention.
Slightly into the forest, nestled just beneath the roots of a green shrub, was a lone flower. Its petals were aggressively blue, mesmerizing his gaze.
Off to the side, he saw that Mercel also stopped, sniffing the air. I wonder if the plant is worth something...
Deep in the Tremor woods many valuable ingredients often formed. This was due to the brutal environment of the forest. For hundreds of years no one was there to protect it from hostile incursions. This caused the fauna and flora to adapt to the hostile warzone- Animals and plants turned ruthless, learning to take advantage of every opportunity.
As a general rule of thumb, the stronger something was, be it a plant, beast or individual, the more valuable it was. Because of this, many medicinal herbs and alchemical reagents developed here.
Back to the situation at hand, it would be folly if they didn’t take advantage of their position. From what he could see, the plant was a regular mana herb. It was used in making mana potions, which while not that rare would go for a decent sum of money.
He approached, his steps growing shorter and quieter. As if the rhythmic thumping of his feet could alert the plant.
His heartbeat was steady; he had harvested many herbs, this was nothing different.
The plant just stood there, indifferent to the fool wanting to harvest it; it grew there all its life. Why should it care now?
Perytos knelt, knife in hand; ready to harvest the blue petals. Just as his knife pierced the outer layer of the stem- Everything went to hell.
Gasp! Thwack! Rustle!
Perytos lost his balance, his feet betraying him. The world turned blurry, too fast to see. Everything was upside down.
Mercel howled distantly. Distressed.
Perytos felt vines wrapping around his body. He was being held by one of his feet. He dangled there, thrashing to get the plant fibers off him.
“Get it off! PLEASE!” His nails were covered in green muck. After clawing at the vines caging him.
He felt himself being dragged, higher into the air. He looked up, stopping his efforts momentarily.
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“What the hell is that!” Up there, above, dangling from one of the trees was a giant ravenous maw.
The shape was bulbous, almost like an eggplant. Except that it split in halve. Out of its mouth were the long green vines, dragging him ever closer to doom. Razor sharp wood-like fangs were about to bite into his flesh.
He was getting closer. Down below he heard Mercel clawing at the plants; trying to get him free. He could smell the terrible stench of rot and decay- The abomination’s latest meals.
In a last-ditch effort, he remembered the knife he was still holding tightly in his hands. He swiped desperately in abandonment. His strength didn’t surge because of his lack of focus. Despite that, he made some progress.
The vines shook slightly, trying to prevent him from escaping, but it was not meant to be. With a loud rustle the stem gave way, and Perytos fell down onto the ground hard.
Thud!
Hungrily Perytos took deep gulps of air. His tunic was sweaty and clung to his back, now even more filthy than before. Plant fibers and gunk clung to it, but he didn't care.
He managed to escape.
He repeated the phrase like a mantra in his head as they both ran as quickly as possible, terrified the vines would wrap around them next.
It was getting dark again, the nourishing radiance of Celarity minutes away from leaving them. They needed to find shelter. The beasts were coming out to hunt. It simply was too dangerous to continue; Perytos could barely see a few strides in front of him.
Their encampment was already decided. Last night nothing bothered Perytos while he was asleep. If they were to make it out of this hell, they needed to be well rested.
Getting Mercel up a tree was half the problem. The other half was a consequence of the first. Partway through lifting Mercel, Perytos' skill activated, and he pushed the behind of the creature too fast. Surprised by the activation, he yelped audibly.
The lykanos didn't bother hiding his displeasure; he growled and moved away from Perytos as far as possible in the thick of the crown. The embarrassed boy just apologized with a sheepish smile. Not that the beast cared; an angry huff was all that he got in response.
Your skill(Oath resonance) has reached level 5-6.
Back in safety, his nerves could decompress. The encounter with the devouring plant surely had been scary; it would haunt him for a long time. Right now though, he needed to be at his best; he pushed away any trauma deep inside a box, leaving to deal with his problems when he was truly safe.
He leaned on a branch, the rough bark biting painfully into his back. Looking at the dim forest, his eyes tried to pick up any movement in the dense canopy. Deep in thought he observed the stirring wildlife.
He couldn't fall to despair now. They would prevail; they had to. With a clear goal in front of him, it was easier to deal with it all. Get to Netcore, then Titan's grasp. What would happen after, he didn't know.
What he did know was that things would settle down. They always did. There was just no other outcome. Either he managed to survive or... he wouldn’t be there to worry about it.
With a quick check on his skill, and seeing it level up, he drifted off to a quiet slumber. The quiet breathing of Mercel covering up the growls of pain and fear coming from below.
The monsters of the night were agitated, as if disturbed. Like they were gathering strength for a fight to come. The rest of the forest basked in the feeling; the atmosphere was dense, and all except the most terrifying beasts hid, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
The duo was too deep in sleep to notice anything different though, not yet used to the rhythm of the Tremor woods.
Too blind to see the arrival of an apex predator. Too unaware to hear its arrival among the trees. Deaf to its magnificent symphony.
