Chapter 14 Exploring the Everchange Forest

I cautiously stepped into the forest, excited at the unique ecosystem that I would find inside. A forest made entirely out of rocks in a giant underground long dead magma pocket was one of the few things I expected. I would slowly make my way through the forest while looking for an entrance into the next stretch of the catacombs. It was now that I gazed in wonderment that I began to realize just how much of my life I had not taken the chance to explore.

I’ve been so worried about adapting to this new world that even though I learned magic, and things normal humans couldn’t do I had yet to take the time to truly explore its beauty. Not that all of it was my fault as my parents had me in strict training routines since 3 but I still had chances and opportunities to explore the wonders of this new world.

I began by picking up what I originally thought was moss. In fact, it was not moss and was more like grass in its length but moss in its texture. I put some into one of the containers in my backpack before resuming the journey. With nothing but relentless fights and surviving taking the time to let my guard down slightly and enjoy myself was something that I almost forgotten how to do.

My mind which had been on a constant alert slowly relaxed. The Everchange forest was beautiful. The stalactites had no distinct pattern to them and would flash in all different color types. Greens, reds, yellows, and blacks came and went until one stalactite would glow brighter than the others and a concentrated drop fell from the stalactite. I would be catching one of those drops and took out a container in anticipation.

My mother had more than enough items prepared for me, and my heart grew warm at the thought of her. Malix was relaxing on my shoulder, but I could tell she was awake as her head or the end of her body I considered her head never stopped moving. I continuously moved forward not in a straight line but towards whatever caught my interest. Like a shinning golden beetle that used a flash to escape from a small lizard like creature with 8 limbs chasing it.

I hadn’t come across any large beast, but I did return some of the caution and guard I previously let go of. The lizard was around the length of my forearm, and I doubt it was the top predator here.

‘System is there a way to identify these creatures?’

Yes, gathering a local bestiary of the area can allow System to identify the creatures for you. There are several features currently locked as you have not completed any of the assigned missions.

Internally I smacked myself in the head. I wonder how much my hesitation to use the System had cost me in time. Who knows what functions I could have had by now if I had just had the node constructed faster. The twins would be working on it now as I had given them blueprints which came from the System itself. All I had to do was lay the box of text and drawings over a large sheet and trace.

Moving on I continued through the forest at a leisure pace only turning this way and that as Malix would speak up occasionally pointing a creature or weird plant out. I was waiting for us to get a bit more comfortable with one another before I would question the worm. I had 5 years for the journey at minimum and I would not forget this favor.

*

Shadow gritted her teeth in frustration. She had to rearrange position several times as her charge would change direction seemly at random but always right before they ran into a good distance for her in enact her plan. She wouldn’t be angry if this had only happened once or twice but thrice was not a coincidence. The time she wasted on finding suitable predators for each attempt and to hold them in place for several hours took a toll on her mental endurance as each creature would not stop resisting. She could slay these mindless beasts with ease, but she was trying to have the frog eat the swan and it had been close to 20 hours now causing her mental endurance to wane. She would take a break for tonight and try a different approach after the brat woke up.

*

I had been exploring the forest for close to 20 hours by now. This was due to the interest I had taken in the various plants or strange creatures Malix would point out from time to time. I would usually spend a few hours in the area observing each creature. I hadn’t had such a big attraction of the strange animals of my previous life but there was something about a horned beetle being the size of my head that just seem to attract something in me. Or these soldier-like ants that did battle with another colony both ants where the size of a child’s palm with one being red and the others blue. They were magical creatures as the soldiers fighting each other were tier 1 in strength. If there was one thing, I like it was watching these strange creature’s fight.

I would perch up on one of the shorter wider stalagmites and sit down to eat and watch. I wasn’t worried about my food or water as I constantly would stock up any chance I get even if I had fully topped off a day earlier. When it came to hunting for food, I would hunt one of the bigger beasts most creatures of magical nature are far larger than their earth equivalent and would provide enough for me to sustain myself for days. A large hunt over the span of 2-3 days would be enough to stock up for several weeks.

What took even more of my time was the elusive drops that fell from the stalactites. Somehow, they would always seem to just miss my container but even if the stalactite wasn’t aligned with a stalagmite somehow the drop would land on top of one. Magic was definitely involved but I had no idea how.

My magic studies extended to the utilization and comprehension of spells. Having earth knowledge on the elements is what helped me progress. As plenty of earths knowledge and laws still held weight in Nia.

I looked for a small clearing to set up camp. My circadian rhythm had long since went out of order and I would travel and take breaks when I truly felt tired. After all there was no way to tell the time.

Finding a small clearing between a few short stalagmites I took out my tent and started to prepare everything when my senses suddenly started to scream at me. I paused not moving another step or even breathing and my ears strained to hear. I didn’t know why my sense started acting up, but I thought of Amaya instinctive danger sense and figured my own had increased in strength. It was then I realized what was wrong. It was quiet.

There were none of the original sounds of this weird forest I had come to understand as its inhabitants. The chirping of the bugs was gone completely, and I wonder how I had just noticed it.

“Malix…”

The worm who had been curled on my shoulder suddenly sat upright.

‘Yes?’

“Can you watch my back?”

‘Only if I can eat the bodies afterwards!’

I thought about this for a minute before deciding. It should be all beast here and no monsters so I would probably want one of the bodies for food but the rest I wouldn’t need.

“Deal, as long as I can have one to prepare food for myself.”

‘Deal!’

The moment the deal was accepted is when the forest came alive. With two beasts shooting towards me from the left of the clearing.

‘One is 40ft behind you. Right now, it is stalking be careful!’

My bag was already down, and I rushed to it as the beast rushed towards me. They had white elongated bodies almost like a cat however that was the only resemblance to the animal. The creatures had long claws that they used to tear through the long moss grass and pointy snouts with long whiskers. I had no clue what they were, but both were rank 2.

I decided to hold off on activating my bloodline. So far 3 creatures were confirmed but that did not mean there wasn’t more. Although I did want to practice with my bloodline and gain more control over it. I wasn’t stupid enough to use my strongest move from the beginning. Then again, these creatures were on my level, and I was itching to test my reformed strength.

Tier 2 is when you could truly classify yourself as beyond human in all aspects. I would be able to move faster act/react faster and so much more. So, when the two creatures finally arrived, I was ready bag tossed to the side and ax in hand.

The first one ran up claws racking towards my face breath hot and mouth snarling. While the second chose to bite towards my ankle to bring me down. I wasn’t fazed, normally in these situations you’d want an adventure party of 4-6 guys for small skirmishes or a guild of 30 or so for larger ones. Using my buckler, I parried the creature sending it stumbling. Strong, but not enough to overpower me. In the same instance I brought my ax to the skull of the other creature killing it instantly as the ax deeply embedded into its skull. This surprised me but not enough to make me hesitant as I wrenched the ax back out with black blood and white brain matter flying everywhere. The first creature I parried just recovered from the blow and looked at me. No looked wasn’t the right term. The creature had no eyes to see from. The skull was just an elongated snout with long whiskers.

This time the approach was much more cautious as it tried to circle me, but I never gave it a chance as I attacked first. I still remembered there was one more and I would not let anything take a chance to control the situation besides me. I moved fast, catching the creature clearly by surprise as I had done a small hop that instantly brought me to its right side and my ax came down swiftly for its exposed neck chopping in deeply almost severing its head before I pulled my weapon out and dashed towards the one that had been prowling.

This entire time Malix had been silent on my shoulder, and I assumed that nothing else was coming. As I got to the edge of the clearing, I saw the last creature who was revealing sharp teeth and it let out several feral sounds. I slowed down as I got near the creature this one was tier 3 and that meant it would have a bloodline ability unlocked. I still wasn’t sure what type of creature this was and needed to be careful as its ability could be anything and I had been very wary for poisonous creatures.

From what I’ve seen so far these weren’t poisonous or venomous as they hadn’t shown any signs in the lower tiers I just executed. So, with a bit more confidence I resumed my speed pulling up on its left side. These creatures where blind so I had been trying to increase the distance between my steps almost hopping the final distance which is how I got so close only for it to react to late.

It was then as I was bringing my ax down to sever its head that the ground bulged open underneath me flinging me hard into one of the stalagmites knocking the wind from my lungs.

What came out the ground was twice maybe thrice the size of the one I had been fighting.

‘Are you ok?’

“Fuck,” I said coughing trying to regain my breath.

“Why didn’t you warn me?”

I sent a glare to the worm that was tightly clinging onto my shoulder. it hadn’t moved position all throughout my fight and was calmly raised up.

‘Your life is always your own responsibility. Besides I offered to let you know of the creatures that would becoming towards you from behind. Not underneath.’

The cheerful Malix was nowhere to be seen as she spoke these words and only a cold voice was left.

“I’m sorry. I let my emotions overcome me.”

I had forgotten. Malix may seem like a young girl in our conversations, but she was the spawn of a Bloodline Initiator. Those who took test to receive the bloodline from these beasts all had to complete a feat to be granted their goal and it wasn’t even a guaranteed survival and that their bloodline would take. These beasts were ancient and thought patterns differed vastly from humans. As much as Malix was my friend that would not mean she did not think of me in the way a beast would and with beast the stronger one takes all.

Returning my attention to the beast although our conversation seemed like it had taken time only a few seconds truly passed since I’d been tossed and recovered. The ground rumbled again, and another 2 heads quickly popped up.

“Shit.”

There were now 3 tier 4 beasts in front of me. Most likely meaning the ones I had been fighting had been the young. My ears darted around looking for an escape. The beast had me surrounded in a triangle formation and the first one was licking over the tier 3 I failed to kill.

My heart started to grow hot in excitement, yet I kept a stable mindset as this was a dangerous situation.

Now I at least knew what the creatures were. Moles. At least some type of weird fantasy moles with slender body types. A few more rumbles and a slew of tier 3 beast rose from the ground completing the encirclement.

“Oh, FUCK ME!”

These tier 3 were a lot bigger meaning the one I had almost killed was a newly advanced tier 3 beast.

“Malix you might want to remove yourself from my shoulder. It’s about to get hot and very, very dangerous.

‘Thank you for your concern but I’m sure I’ll be fine.’

I could hear the excitement in her voice and wondered what happen to the shy girl/worm I originally met.

*

Shadow was having the most pleasant dream. She dreamed of her home and her clan. The Sun Elves were just one of the many branches on the tree of the species of the elves. Shadow dreamed of the time when her clan was one hundred thousand strong. She dreams of the time they had a place close to the center of the forest in a vast clearing where they could not only give praise to the Suns but to the Tree of Life. She dreams of her brothers and sisters who taught her how to hunt and how to listen to the words of the forest. She dreamed of her parents some of the strongest warriors of their clan and the ones who taught her how to protect. How to kill.

Then the nightmare came. It was always the same. She couldn’t run from it, and it haunted her every time she slept. Shadow dreams of the day the forest burned. When a monster horde full of corrupted beasts spread like the plague and broke past the defensive line of the gnomes and into the Forest of Life. Slaughtering all in their path including the Sun Elves.

Shadow woke up a cold sweat running down her back. Something was wrong. The area of the forest was way to quiet and Shadow looked to her left where the boys camp was located as an explosion erupted. Fear gripped her heart and she moved so fast it seemed like teleportation emerging from a shadow not too far from the clearing.

She gasped in a mixture of fear and amazement. Fear as the boy was surrounded by tier 3 and 4 beasts while only having the power level of a tier 2. Amazement at the scene of carnage in front of her. She watched as the 3 creatures she had subdued earlier were all burning up in flames while most of the tier 3s had perished or were on the verge of perishing.

Jumping tiers wasn’t common but wasn’t uncommon either. Most noble house scions could do it and even Shadow could as well. It was the domineering way Aegis was taking down the enemies that surprised her. Not everyone could jump more than 2 tiers usually it was one, but the way Aegis made it look so easy had Shadow surprised. Her crossbow which had been ready to put an end to the beast quickly disappeared and she did as her name suggested and took to the shadows.

*

This feeling of power, of control. It was addictive, my bloodline made me feel so alive. I watched as most of the tier 3’s perished in an instant while the tier 4’s was suffering 3rd and 4th degree burns and the disgusting smell of roast fur and flesh filled my nostrils.

What brought me the greatest surprise however was the worm on my shoulder that seem to either completely not feel the effects of my bloodline or just shrug it off. It wasn’t the time for me to worry about that anyway. Now was the time for me to kill these beasts. I turned the power of my bloodline off a significant amount of mana had left me, but I’d estimate to have 2/5 of my pool remaining.

The ground that had been tossed and turned from the moles attack had become completely blacken by my bloodline attack and even the closest stalagmites had a blacken exterior although I don’t believe any of the stalagmites melted.

As the ground cooled, I quickly rushed towards the first beast that had yet to recover and brought its suffering to an end by splitting its head open. Moving fast, I rushed up to the second beast and did the same. I had no idea how long they would take to recover or if they could recover from such an attack, but I wouldn’t take the chance. As I brought my ax down on the head of the last beast a clicking sound rang out and I felt a shackle on my power release. I was once again tier 3. I could now use the moves I had been taught and the few I was still in the process of developing.