Chapter 49: Contact

  Traveling within the forest was starting to feel more comfortable for Alex. His stronger body, coupled with his aether sight, let him run at faster speeds without losing awareness of his surroundings.

  He learned that his magical sight wasn’t just about seeing aether. He felt he could see more clearly than before. Further out, with more detail at every distance. Motion didn’t blur his vision as much as it used to, and his eyes could easily keep up with his acceleration when running around dodging the foliage. He was sure that his vitality and mental stats played a part in that, but he felt the strange ability listed in his status screen was doing at least half the work.

  Alex must have been ten miles into the forest by now. The canopy still just as thick, choking the sunlight to the point of a soft greenish glow permeated everything.

  The low light was one of the reasons that he hadn’t noticed them immediately. The distinctive aura around their forms was all that gave him warning, as the energy completely blended with the surrounding tree, only the vague shape of an animal stood out to his mind.

  Alex forced himself to a sudden stop as the deer-shaped creature moved slowly towards him.

  It had a deer shape, but was not a normal animal. Its body was seemingly made of compact moss instead of flesh. Twisting vines and wood covered parts of it. Lichen-caked ivory antlers rose from its head, its body somehow rigid. He was confused since plant matter shouldn’t be as stiff as what this creature obviously was.

  He didn’t have much time to study it further as another animal-shaped moss entity strode out from a nearby tree and began walking towards him as well. This one in the shape of a wolf instead.

  “I’d just assume these are not friendly and prepare for a fight if I were you. Which, with our bonded connection, I sort of am? So hurry up and get ready.”

  “ \What the hell are thes—”

  The wolf-shaped one charged at him.

  It lunged, fast, too fast for something made of wet plant matter. He twisted to the side, feeling the whoosh of air as it missed, bark claws slashing through empty space. He dropped low and swept his spear around, slamming it into the creature’s side. The blow connected with a dull thunk, splintering some moss and bark, but the thing barely flinched.

  It turned, slow and silent.

  “Oh come on,” Alex growled. “That should’ve at least made you yelp.”

  “You’re fighting a compost heap, not a dog.”

  The larger creature, the deer, lowered its antlered head and charged him as well. Alex didn’t think. He pulled his free hand up and focused.

  A short chant and a twist of aether later, energy shot from his palm. A condensed wave of aether moved forward and smashed into the charging creature’s chest. The deer-like thing staggered as vines tore and bark splintered from the impact. Yet it kept standing, jaws parting in silence.

  He spun back to the wolf, just in time to see it leaping again.

  “Fuck!” he shouted, thrusting his hand out instinctively.

  A thin shimmer of aether from his [Shield] spell burst into place just as the creature’s claws hit him. The impact shoved him back, feet skidding across wet moss, but the barrier held, if only barely. The wolf’s weight crashed into Alex and then tumbled off, careening into the underbrush.

  “Please tell me you’re learning from this, ” Obby said. “Because this is starting to look like interpretive dance with angry yard clippings.”

  Alex shoved to his feet. The shield flickered once, then popped like a soap bubble.

  “Alright,” he muttered, panting. “No more playing nice.”

  He rushed the injured deer while it still staggered. Spear out, he leapt and drove the point up under what he hoped was its chin. The tip struck a knot of twisted bark and sank in deep. The creature jerked violently, legs convulsing. Then it collapsed, bark and moss falling at its legs. Alex ignored and mentally swiped away the notification he received from killing the creature.

  He turned. The wolf was already charging again, half its moss hanging loose, parts of its structure hanging sloppily from the earlier impact.

  Alex met it head-on.

  He ducked under its leap, then jabbed his spear straight into its underbelly, feeling something crunch as the shaft pushed deeper. The creature let out no cry, just a strange, slow shudder and then its legs folded. It hit the ground and didn’t move again.

  Alex stood over it, breathing hard. His arms ached. His shirt clung to him, soaked with sweat and sticky plant juice.

  Just as he was about to relax, he heard another creak to his right, his head whipping to the side in time to see a bark-plated bear-thing barreling down on him. Its mouth already open wide and ready to pierce him through with its pointed wooden teeth.

  He steeled himself and dropped his spear to the ground. He raised his left arm and readied a fist, throwing it forward with a yell just as the tree-bark-bear collided with him. His first burst through the wooden plating of the thing’s chest, leaving his arm submerged up past his elbow in the vines and moss of the creature’s insides.

  Meanwhile, Alex barely manage to lean to the side so the bear’s mouth clamped down on his shoulder instead of his head.

  That didn’t stop the momentum of the beast though, and Alex was wrenched off his feet and carried along with its charge until Alex felt his back slam against a tree trunk, ending their inertia. Alex groaned pitifully, but held on to consciousness with sheer willpower.

  He didn’t have enough aether in his body, he was already dangerously low using the two spells he had against both the deer and the wolf just moments before. But that didn’t matter as Alex chanted the few words for his [Flare] spell, drawing on the energy stored in the gemstone of his left bracer. Energy surged from the gemstone and down into his left hand, the one still buried deep in the thing’s chest.

  The bark-bear exploded from the inside as Alex’s spell erupted from his hand, sending a concussive wave of aether directly inside its body. It was near instantly ripped apart. Chunks of moss, vine and bits of tree bark rained around Alex as he stood unsteadily on his feet.

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  Around him, the forest settled into a silence once again.

  “Okay,” he breathed. “That was…”

  “Incredible? Heroic? Shockingly reckless? ”

  “...Gross,” Alex finished. He prodded the remains of the bear-thing with his boot, half-expecting it to twitch again. It didn’t.

  He stepped back and looked around. Still quiet. Still watching.

  “I think the forest is trying to kill me.”

  “Gosh, ” Obby deadpanned. “What gave it away? The vine deer with giant horns, or the wooden bear that tried eating your face? ”

  Alex shook his head, retrieved his spear and started walking again, slower this time. Every rustle made him flinch. The spear stayed in his hand. “Next time,” he muttered, “for once I will just run in attacking first thing instead of letting them try to eat me first.”

  “You say that, ” Obby said, tone smug. “And yet here you are. Again. ”

  Alex didn’t answer.

  The trees closed in around him once more, the mossy silence swallowing his footsteps as he moved. Alex was still on edge, but he excitedly pulled up the notifications from his fight, anticipating the mental dopamine hit he knew was sure to follow.

  He wasn’t at all disappointed. That was a great windfall for having to only take out three monsters. Especially with the experience throttling effect that Alex all but confirmed was going on as he started to get more powerful. Alex almost wished he could hunt down more of the things. Almost.

  He didn’t enjoy the idea of fighting more of those monsters. They looked as if an old age hippie and Lovecraft had a love child. It wasn’t pretty. He shuddered and kept moving, keeping a strong eye out for the energy from of those things, ready to divert or backtrack to avoid them should he have to.

  It turned out Alex was looking about for the wrong threat. Granted, he really wouldn’t have been able to notice them even if he knew where they were ahead of time, the difference in power was just that great.

  How could Alex hope to spot an elf, after all?

  “Don’t move human, or you will die.”

  The voice caught him off guard mid-stride. He scrambled to a hasty halt, his feet making large furrows in the dirt below them. His eyes flickered about, unsure where the words came from but certain it wasn’t messing about.

  He could recognize the melodic ring to the voice, the voice of an elf. Alex very slowly raised his hands, making sure to drop his spear before doing so.

  “You are far from your village human. You made quite the mistake.” He turned just slightly to his left, seeing a bow suddenly materialize with an arrow nocked and drawn, pointed at his face. Just as quickly, the humanoid form of an elf formed around it. Like it was the predator turning off its cloaking. A shimmer, and suddenly a male elf just stood before him.

  “I come in peace?” Alex tried to smile.

  “Human’s never come in peace. We saw how the forest mossling’s responded to you, you are a threat to the land in some way.” The male elf’s voice was nice to hear, but his words sent chills down Alex’s spine. “Anything you want to say before your death?”

  “Sylvaris!” Alex shouted. “Bring me to Sylvaris.”

  “What?” A second elf stepped from the tree’s to his left. This one had two swords strapped to his waist. He looked at Alex with confusion and curiosity. “How do you know that name?”

  “We’ve met.” he said, flashing the ring he wore on his hand. “He gave me this. Take me to him, and I can explain everything. I swear.”

  The two elves looked at each other for a few moments until the one holding the bow lowered the weapon. He couldn’t stop a relieved sigh from escaping his lips.

  “That was close. You almost earned a third eye socket.”

  Stay quiet. These guys might notice you. Alex thought.

  “Don’t move.” The bow wielding elf stepped forward, checking over Alex’s body quickly. It felt like an inter-dimensional police pat down. “What’s in the bracelet?”

  Alex looked at his bracelet, the one containing the small pocket space full of items. So the elves at least knew what system-rewarded items looked like. The thing was made of just plain stone by appearance, which he assumed was the reason the Kobold’s hadn’t taken it from him. But the elves knew better.

  “Just potions and other supplies. No weapons.” Alex answered honestly.

  The second elf came forward, slipping off the bracelet and then taking Alex’s backpack, spear and the dagger that he kept at his waist.

  “We will take you to Sylvaris. Just know that if it turns out that you are lying to us, it won’t be me that kills you. Sylvaris is far more ruthless to those that take advantage of and besmirch his name.” The elf grinned at him with the type of smile that made Alex start to regret what just might happen.

  “Uh…” he stammered. “Look, I can just fuck off right back to Vrung’s Quarry, its just that—“

  “Stay quiet,” The elf cut him off. “Follow us, and don’t fall behind.”

  I might have fucked up. He thought.

  “Might have? You’ve been a fuck up since the moment we met.”

  Alex sighed.