Chapter 107

Heat

Thrush

Inventory brimming, weight pushing my feet into the ground, I continued through day 2 of my journey out of Omes Arbor.

Waiting for Veronica had been a good call. I was now gallons lighter, and feeling fulfilled, having earned another level up. All that I needed to do now was locate those cowbell plants, harvest the roots, and recruit someone to deliver them to Hawkin on the ethereal plane.

The road was deserted. The sun was merciless. I was tired of my cloak, so I stuffed it into my inventory. Then my craving for dreambons resurfaced.

This is the last leg of my journey. No reason to stay human any longer.

I withdrew a dreambon. Broke it. Cast the seeds upon the ground and whispered, “nightream eternal.”

The seeds trembled. Sprouted. Grew into bushes that bore dozens of dreambon fruits in mere moments.

“Eternal ends,” I said.

The plants withered. Dropped their ripened fruits. I collected them all and chowed down for all I was worth.

Satiation 61%

Composition

79% human

12% dreambon

01% beer

08% world mix

My meal of dreambons was enough to replace 5% of my human composition. The fever beneath my skin cooled. I shrunk 2 inches. My eyes grew wider. My teeth sharpened. I could feel my fur return. Colors of dreambons filled the sponge of my eyes. It felt amazing to reunite with my ancestral origins through the dreambon.

Throughout the rest of the day, the sun burned my human skin. It burned pink, then red. It was a pain that did not bother me. I pressed on. The earth was dry. Cracked. The plants crisply rustled in the breeze.

The smells of the world strengthened under my changing nose. Scents were stronger now. Richer. The smells grew more damp, more humid as the road narrowed and the trees converged overhead.

I stopped every so often to gulp down more dreambons. To grow more. To drink from the little water I had. When I ran out of water, I drank from the mana potion in my barrel. Straight from the barrel.

While I might meet some folks along the road as I returned north, I didn’t plan on traveling through cities anymore. I saw no point to it. No reason to keep the mana potion.

I stopped then where the fern struggled not to wilt. The canopy shuffled in the wind. Sunlight and shadows danced on the ground. I sniffed. Followed the smell of an animal.

Odd. Animals should have scattered from my presence a while ago.

I tracked the scent off into the woods to a lynx. It lay in the shade, panting for all it was worth. Its eyes were half-opened. Its tongue was dry and grasping out.

Thirsty, I thought.

“Hawkin would share his water with you,” I told the lynx. “I don’t have water.”

I retrieved the barrel of mana potion, poured a bit into my cupped palm, and offered the lnx a drink. It extended itself with great effort and cautiously drank from my hand.

I stayed with the lynx until evening when it cooled a bit. The animal was endlessly thirsty, and its breathing didn’t calm until night fell. That’s when it seemed to understand the situation a bit better. It looked up at me like I’d just arrived. Like it should have run from me when I’d been miles away.

Its hackles rose. It rose to its feet and slowly backed away. I patiently watched the animal as it gauged my next move. But I didn’t move. I stayed still. The lynx crept away while keeping eye contact with me. When it was far enough, it bolted into the woods.

The following day was even hotter.