Chapter 5

  The Woods Were Quiet Then, Empty.

  The next morning, stirred from his sleep by small hushed voices, Nik woke to a surprise. The sprites and pixies had been busy. While he had been training, they had been hard at work. He sat up, surrounded by faeryfolk, and their parting gifts. As they handed him the gifts that they had put every bit of effort and care into making for him, Nik felt tears run down his cheeks. These were the first he had ever received.

  Using only plant material, they had somehow made a leather substitute. With it, they had worked together to craft him a larger pouch that had multiple pockets and loops to slide his belt through.

  They had also made another one that was quite similar, but much, much larger than the pouch. Sorel told him that it was to go on his back and with straps to go over his shoulders. The younger Figbug brought forward a few small bags of berries and mushrooms that he had collected specially for Nik, saying, “Hold on to the frostberries. They will keep the rest of your food fresh for longer. Maybe a week before they lose their cold.”

  All moving in on him in a small swarm, he was trapped in a pile of hugs. The only one missing was Pearl. Had she not even wanted to say goodbye? he thought. Then, looking towards her tree, he saw her, surrounded by her family. They were giving their own goodbye hugs.

  Wiping tears from her reddened eyes, she fluttered down to him. She said, “It is time for us to go, young one.”

  Nik was stunned. His mind raced back to her sad expression the night of the party, the gloominess behind halfhearted smiles during all of the days that followed. She had known she was coming with me the whole time we were training, he realized.

  “Us?” he asked.

  She smiled through obvious sadness, saying, “Us. I knew while you were still sleeping through the medicinal herbs that I was going to go with you from here. I did not know at the time that it would be to help you find a home, but it is a sweet goal.”

  The whole community swarmed her before he could question her further. He stood there, unable to move his feet. He felt his heart seize and his breath falling short. He had felt this emotion before, but in different contexts. This was fear, he knew it well enough.

  He realized as they looked at him, ready to see him part from their home, that he was scared to leave. Not for fear of danger or the unknown, but a fear of solitude and loneliness. He longed for the community that he’d never had, that he had only really ever seen here. Nik was shaken from his frozen state by a light smack on the cheek, delivered by Pearl as she alighted onto his shoulder. He thought, Right, I don’t have a home, but I’m not going to be alone for the journey ahead. I also won’t be the only one missing home. Shouting kind words and wishes for safe travels, the fairyfolk sent them off with parting waves.

  Walking along in companionable silence, they continued north. The same direction that he had initially started his journey. It was an odd feeling, leaving his new friends behind. Loss mingled with hope as they traveled, and he knew that his companion shared the same emotions.

  He had questions for her, but they could wait. She was grieving, in a way, and he wanted to give her the space to sort through that for herself. She deserved that much for joining him, whatever her reasons might be.

  Respecting the fact that Pearl was not a meat eater, Nik did not attempt any hunting or trapping as they traveled. Even when they spotted a broodeer, an odd beast with low hanging antlers, behind distant trees or small rabbits running through the underbrush. So they went on, stopping once every day to eat, practice their wind abilities, and lastly, to practice his weapon skills. They always kept at least half of their MP in reserve for emergency use. Nik got used to the feeling of the spear in his hand, and Pearl came up with a way for the both of them to train skills together.

  She would lift leaves into the air with her wind manipulating, gentle breeze ability. An ability which cost her no MP at all somehow, but in all fairness had very little effect. Then Nik would slash and stab at them, honing his aim and coordination. He would end every training session with 20 spear throws. He was happy to be getting better at throwing it straight now. He just wasn’t the best at actually hitting his target. Even with that knowledge he was happy to see his spear skill had gone up a level. His wind skill had, to his frustration, remained at 2.

  On their fifth day they followed the same routine they had developed, and by midday, had reached the point where it was the farthest that even Pearl had traveled. They were now wandering into, what was to each of them, the unknown.

  The trees were growing more distant from each other, but they were also growing in size. The bark on these larger trees was a reddish hue, and they reached up into the sky like miniature versions of the Black Tower. Some of them were so big that Nik could swear the whole of Pearl’s community back home could fit within a small layer of just one of their trunks. The system told him they were called redwood trees. How creative, he thought.

  An hour into this new forest, they came upon a wide dirt road that wove between the trees. Roads were not for their kind. They were for adventurers to traverse quickly between their towns, their cities, and the tower at the center of it all. Nik didn’t want to follow the road in either direction, since that would be taking them closer to one place or the other where players lived their lives.

  With Pearl’s blessing, he decided to continue forward across the road and through more of the giant trees. They were beginning to run low on the food they had set out with, even as they had supplemented their supply with daily foraging. He estimated that they had maybe two more days worth of food in his bag, aside from the frostberries that he was hoping to save as long as possible. His skill at least helped him to know which of the strange plants were edible, but the farther they got from the faery hollow, it seemed, the less tasty the plants and fungi were.

  Wondering if the pixies and sprites had some sort of genius green thumbs among them or if they just chose the place with the best berries to live, Nik never heard it coming.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  A quest notification rang out.

  Quest Received!

  Survive

  Reward:

  75 XP and you get to keep breathing

  A savage snarl sounded from above as claws and fangs dropped down on him from above. Nik threw his shield arm over his head in time to block the long fanged, ape-like mouth of the beast as claws swung past its sides to strike at his body. They dug into his stomach and scraped across his lower back, dealing 45 points of damage as he was thrown to the ground by the weight of it. Messages still filled his vision, before he mentally shoved them aside. Pearl was gone from his shoulder, tossed away by the impact. Rolling through the air, she recovered mid flight. She sent a wind slice at the wild animal, forcing it off of Nik, as the fresh cut on its side spilled blood on the forest floor.

  From his place on his back, he stabbed at it with his spear, but it was knocked aside by the beast’s clawed paw. It leapt at him again as another wind slice from Pearl went wide. Spinning his spear back around with a horizontal slash, cutting a thin line below its left eye, as it bounced away at the last second. Nik managed to get to his feet and threaten it with his spear before it came at him again. They circled each other while his ally fluttered out of range. His HP dropped another 10 as he saw the bleed effect that the claws had applied.

  “Now!” his teacher shouted, sending another slice of air towards the beast, and Nik obeyed. Aiming low as it ducked below the wind ability, he activated his spear ability dual strike, it hit the creature on both points. The phantom tip struck it in the chest, while the metal point tore into the meat of its shoulder. His spear was torn from his hand as the creature twisted away from its chosen prey.

  It retaliated. A powerful slash of its claws sent splinters flying from his shield, forcing his arm aside and opening him up for another attack. 10 more HP bled away and Nik was starting to get light headed. Pearl slammed into his shoulder knocking him aside as the beast’s razor sharp hooked blades slid through the air a breath away from his face. He rolled back to his feet and on sheer instinct swiped his own clawed hand out at their attacker, striking its face, and twisting its neck as it leapt towards him.

  He felt the full force of it knocking him onto his tail, and landing on top of him. It turned its face back to him snarling. It curled its lips to bite down on him, and he pumped every ounce of MP that he had remaining into his arm, slashing his claws against its throat. As his claws broke skin, he pushed, sending a violent wave of energy blasting forcefully through each of his fingers. Three sharp blades of air sliced through its neck, severing its head. The weight of the creature’s body fell on Nik’s legs.

  They had survived the ambush predator’s attack, but Nik was still bleeding. He watched his HP drop to 25 of 100, as Pearl rushed to his side. “I’ve got a bleeding effect on me. Feels like the arrow,” he told her. Thinking quickly she reached into his bag, withdrew the rest of their frostberries, and flew over him, landing on his chest.

  One at a time she crushed the berries between her hands and pressed them into his abdominal wounds. She managed to cover over the deepest parts and some of the more shallow grooves.

  15 of 100… Nik lay in pain half under whatever this creature was, as he watched his life drain away as numbers hanging in the air at the bottom of his vision.

  Moments passed along, and the numbers blinked again 15 of 100. The bleeding symbol vanished from the system. The frostberries had done their job of holding off its effect, but they weren’t out of the woods yet. He had some very low HP, he had a severe wound, again, and Pearl had sacrificed an important part of their food supply to save his life.

  He said, “The next few days are going to be very rough,” and he let the system messages back in as he heard another bell ring out.

  Quest Succeeded!

  Congratulations!

  Experience gained 75!

  Skill gained: Tooth and Nail Level 1!

  Merry Christmas Sandy Claws

  Wind Skill with Tooth and Nail Skill

  Combination Ability Created: Wind Claw!

  Congratulations, you created an ability

  Ability Created

  Experience gained 50!

  You have defeated an Ambush Chimpanther!

  Experience gained 50!

  XP 200 of 300 to Level 3

  “I can’t believe that actually worked,” Nik told his mentor and best friend. “I should be dead, and you saved me more than once. Thank you, Pearl”

  She frowned at him in mock offense and said, “What? Like my training was not incredible and I was not going to be the hero of the day?” She broke, smiling at him.

  Shaking his head and chuckling, he told her, “No, that wasn’t the unbelievable part. I created a new ability.”

  Pearl hovered closer. “You mean to say that you learned a new ability?” she questioned.

  “No,” Nik said, “I created one. I forced all of my remaining mana through my claws, and the system said the ability I created is called Wind Claw.”

  She stayed hovering inches from his face, with her eyes blinking rapidly in confusion.

  “I just… How did...? People do not just make new abilities, Nik. There is something strange going on with you,” she said, her eyes locked firmly onto his.

  “Maybe,” he said in return, “But, right now, while I’m only mostly dead, I’d actually love to stay entirely in the world of the living.”

  His friend frowned in earnest this time, saying, “Sorry, you're right. I’ll go find some plants to make a salve and bandage for your wounds.”

  “No!... Sorry, no. Don’t leave me alone here. Please. Just help me get my legs out and I will come with you.” He had shouted out so abruptly, that he had been surprised by his own panic.

  She shook her head and told him plainly, “I am sorry, Nik. You are not fit to be moved at the moment. Trust me. Trust that I know what I am doing. I will fly as fast as I can and return to aid you in healing. Please, do not try to move yourself yet.” With those words spoken, she was gone. The same way she ended every conversation, getting the last word in followed directly by her fluttering wings vanishing into the distance.

  The woods were quiet then, empty. He lay there, silent now, in the middle of an unfamiliar forest, trapped, wounded, and alone.

  * * *

  The forest was a great place for finding the occasional beast to eat, some were even moderate in size. Even if most were not large enough to be more than a single bite, they would do. Laying a clutch of eggs was no light task, and after two days of rest added to her missed meals, it had all left her with a rather sizable appetite. The scraping thud of her massive, clawed feet announced her return, the echoes ricocheted around the cave. Belly filled and ready for another nap, she curled her scaled tail around her nestled clutch of eggs, head facing the entrance to her dwelling place.