From one hell to the next. This game really seems to disapprove of me, maybe it's because I was so lucky earlier. My visibility is terrible thanks to this fog, and this fog also negates my spiritual essence from spreading. I don't have any ability to fly, so my choices are distinctly limited. My first thought is to summon Ceres, but digging through dirt isn't as useful in a swamp. Luckily I had another companion that I have not forgotten. Neptune's Paredrae, Venilia.

While I do remember her I would rather not use the chant I made up for her now. It's rather embarrassing, and slightly inaccurate anyway. Rather than using an unnecessary chant I instead form an orb of spiritual energy into my hand.

Throwing out the golden yellow orb I call out "[Nature Manifestation] Venilia." The orb seems to strike a vertical pool of transparent liquid while disappearing. Vertical waves ripple out from where the orb struck before the sound of someone emerging out from water sounds out.

A young adult woman walks out from the invisible pool. Her pale skin and bony cheeks would give a slightly sickly feeling were it not for the indomitable will emerging from her deep blue eyes. A thin smile appears on her face as she greets me.

"It has been some time, Corvus." Venilia bows her head to me causing her light blue bangs to come down over her face.

"Yes it has, I apologize for not calling you more often, Venilia." I bow my head lightly as well, both in greeting and apology.

After a brief moment a disturbed look crosses her face as she takes in the surrounding. "Where is this place? The energy here is particularly oppressing."

"I wish I knew. I took a teleport gateway after a certain incident and arrived not too far from this spot. I called you hoping you might be able to help me in some way." My voice is slightly strained as the bizarre location is incredibly troubling, and if a being more powerful than I believes its strange then there is not much I should be able to do.

"I see, I will do my best to find any information I can. Please wait here for a moment." Venilia takes a gentle step and slips seamlessly into the muddy water not even causing a ripple.

A pale blue light glows from her location. The light swiftly moves through the water without causing the slightest disturbance. The light fades into the fog leaving me without my previous sense of loneliness and unease. Rather than sitting and doing nothing I begin to investigate the plant life in the area. My research into botany is nowhere near extraordinary, but it is still much better than the average person due to my studying of alchemy.

I begin to peel the lichen off of the damp tree bark. As the piece of lichen begins to separate a horrendous scream resounds through the swamp. Panicking I instantly remove the piece of lichen between my fingers and take two steps backwards reflexively.

"You dare?!" A deep bellowing yell explodes from the tree causing my knees to weaken. The bark on the tree begins to change shape into a wrinkled face. "Human trash believes that they can destroy this swamp like they destroy everything else?" The face scowls as golden eyes peek out from the eyelids.

In response to the threatening atmosphere I quickly fall to my knees and apologize. "I am sorry swamp tree, I suddenly appeared here and wished to get a better grasp on the situation through the study of the plants here. It was not my intention to harm the swamp, if it were I could have done so with fire rather than peeling off a bit of lichen." My earnest apology quickly becomes rude as it becomes a bit of a threat.

"Hoho it's rare for a human to kneel before a tree such as myself, It would appear I judged too quickly. However, it's not as though I was in the wrong, humans have destroyed uncountable numbers of trees and forests." The tree makes a slightly amused expression before seemingly accepting my apology. "This swamp has been lost long ago to the humans, I can't be sure how you can return, but I will see if I can help." Contained within the tree's voice is countless years of wisdom, and also countless years of loss.

"I see, so there are no humans here?" I say with a bemused expression. "The way in which I teleported should only allow me to teleport to the area near it's maker."

"Ah, so you could only come here if there were another human here as well? If that is the case then they must be here, yet I know not of any human in this swamp."

"I see, do you trees have a way to communicate with each other in case that human came in contact with others?" I question the tree in hopes that it could find out the information for me, but sadly it's not that easy.

"Yes, we do in fact have a way to communicate. We trees in this swamp have always been linked mentally, so our knowledge is shared between us. We practically share one ego, but as I said before no human has been seen by any tree within this swamp."

Those last words seemed to strike away my hope. If they had not seen them then it shall be hard for me to find either Tarin or Maddy, who hopefully took a test similar to mine and appeared near Tarin.

***

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