Borys’ added speed allowed it to catch the panther off-guard. While two mere points weren’t much, they nigh doubled the bear’s base speed. The bear reached its position one step sooner than both it and Theron expected, and a swing of its limbs tore its snout, carving three painful slashes into its face. Dark liquid splattered, flecking the bark of the tree nearby black, then Borys followed its assault with a shove, grappling it down with its weight. The panther shrieked and clawed its assailant, unable to set itself free, eventually silenced by a crunch.
[Aspect: Metal-clawed bear gains 25 experience points!]
Not bad… Theron watched the aftermath with a proud look. This bear, while paling in levels compared to Lux, was strong enough to hold its own despite the difference. The display of its prowess posed a quick question in his mind; about how the elites fared compared to their normal counterparts. And there was also that spiked bear roaming near his starting location. Was that also an elite? Or was it… something else?
Borys tossed the dead panther aside, returning to Theron’s position with a pleasant look. It quiesced beside him, resting on its hind, staring at nowhere. Peace resumed within the shroud of the thicket.
Then… they waited. More panthers eventually appeared, curious about the untouched carcass just ripe for consumption. Each was killed by Borys and rewarded it more experience for a level-up. Three dead panthers later, none dared to approach the space beyond the cave opening, and Theron finally slept after giving Borys’ stat page a quick look. Also, he mastered another aspect, earning another type of materia.
[Aspect: Metal-clawed bear gains 25 experience points!]x3
[You completed a new aspect!]
[Aspect of Metal-bladed Dark panther is added to your compendium. You can now summon it after materializing the aspect using an aspect core.]
[You obtained a materia: R-1 Metal-bladed Dark panther.]
Aspect - Metal clawed bear | Health : 28/28 | Mana : 0/0
Level: 2 | Next 50 xp
Rank: 1 | Max Level 5
Mana cost: 5 | slot cost: 1
Element: Normal | Affinity: Melee
Class: Bear | Type: Beast
-Attributes-
Free points: - (+2/level)
Might: 13 (+3/level)
Speed: 5
Magic: 0
Toughness: 11 (+3/level)
Resistance: 7
-Abilities-
###
Morning rose once more, emitting a predawn chill misting in the distance. The sky was once sable and brooding, but the morn dispelled all those colors and shades with its own red and blue. All his time was spent asleep, yet the carcasses outside remained intact.
An insatiable rumbling hailed his rise from within his stomach. Grimacing from the hunger and insane thirst gnawing his innards, he grasped Borys’ fur as support as he stood, groaning from his festering weakness. To be starved of his basic needs was common in his past life, Theron learned to ignore the discomfort until the needs began to hurt, and right, they yearned for relief.
The sun bathed him upon his exit; with the recent clear, he struggled to figure out more reasons to stay here. He eyed the towering summit in the distance, watching the column of a shadow cast from the tower atop it, a line of gray shrouding the otherwise ivory snow and clouds.
He headed toward the direction of the river, eyes emboldened with the desire to quench his overbearing thirst. The forest gave way to a running creek. The lapping sounds of water sounded like jingles in his mind. Theron scrounged the clear water with his palm and gulped, then gulped again after he dipped his head into it.
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Thirst subsiding, he followed the line headed toward the mountain in the far, far distance. The trills of splashing water played along his unsteady steps, tailed by his trusty companion, whose size brooded behind him. A part of him relished in the comfort of having something as staunch as the bear on his back, its eyes searching the pressing trees for possible assailants.
The river narrowed, eventually curving toward a small waterfall. Below, another swath of differently colored forest awaited. An expanse of teal and white shrouded in mists loomed below. The trees here were gaunt, with white branches extending high, the leaves of which shaded with hues of light blue and the occasional violet. His eyes spotted a slight opening below, a few leagues away to the right, and in its center, a quaint, metallic object stood tall, piercing through the mists. A quick glimpse made out its basic silhouette; a column of steel with antennas on top, with a red glowing orb near its base. It hummed. Theron recognized it right away; those were the things he’d seen from way above before he was thrown into this world.
Tracing the cliffside, Theron’s eyes gaped in awe at the sheer scale of the forest circling the mountainous formation in the center. To say it was big would be a massive understatement. Shaking his head, he found a gentler decline permitting a slow descent to the strange area below. Doubtless, he was meant to trek through this zone, knowing full of the possibility of meeting new, exotic monsters. His bear stuck closely behind him, nearly falling a few times from its ponderous size, yet it kept its feet grounded through some miracle. Theron’s feet safely landed on the valley, head darting about to spot any irregularities, then breathed in the calm air, “Borys… Look ahead.” He whispered to his companion. It responded with a gentle nod, then perused the blue vegetation with a dutiful interest. A message stopped him from going further.
[You have left the tutorial zone.]
[You are now in the Ghostwood Forest.]
So… my starting location is the tutorial zone… and this part is for the big boys, then?
Nothing responded to their arrival. Theron waded through the strange scenery with awe-struck eyes—never once had he expected to behold such an… otherwordly sight. Wincing from the harsh sunlight, he emerged through the tree line, finishing his little journey below the column of steel.
[Checkpoint #2-16 found!]
[You can interact with the checkpoint pillar to access the Essence store, or revive your dead aspects. Free revival only works once in this checkpoint for every drifter.]
[Pillar is currently locked. Find the key hidden nearby.]
The revelation did nothing but cause him to sigh. He trailed the length of the steel from top to bottom, and sure enough, a keyhole the size of his pinky hollowed below the humming orb. So… I just have to find it? Where is it?
[Pointing toward the key location.]
A wave of cloudy blue emanated from the apex of the pillar, sailing toward the direction bounding his north. There? He thought to himself as he skimmed his surroundings once more, ensuring he missed nothing. “Let’s do this slowly,” he muttered as he shuffled toward where the pillar suggested him.
In the midst of the teal and violet scene, the mists fogged a few distances ahead of his location, smearing his eyesight into pure white clouds.
The trees shook. Borys’s head craned toward the source. A tree-shaped figure the size of a tall man was seen trekking the forest with languid steps. Is that- A-A… treant? Theron had played enough games and watched enough movies to know what treants looked like. So far, all the things he’d seen were animals mixed with fantastical features; wolves with horns, bears worn with metal claws, then panthers with bladed tails. But this one… This one was picked out straight from a storybook. Its bark matched the color of the trees all around it—a good reason why he failed to spot it before descending—and it only moved every once in a while, like a… A sloth?
Unlike the games depicting such entities, this treant appeared way smaller than he expected. It stilled in its spot, melding with the trees, stalking. He considered the situation again, then opted to see what it could do before making a full commitment. Borys dredged through the treeline, eyes locked on the placid treant, shielding Theron from the front. It shook awake the moment they entered its striking range, which was revealed to be way further than he expected.
Vines. Large, thick vines shot out from the orifice at the ends of its arms, whipping Borys’ claws with a nasty thwack. It had enough might to shove his companion’s defenses away, then the next swipe slashed its face, recoiling it backward. Strong, Theron hid behind the bear’s curving back, thinking of the next plan of attack. Keep pushing. He willed Borys to trudge the incessant whips. Put both hands up, he called out from the shadow of its figure. The whips barraged its metal-ladened arms, deterring Borys’ charge from each slam, whipping its wrists in the meantime. The shift of momentum altered the course of the fight. From that exchange, Theron knew he had no hope of tackling this monster. Not in this way, He cursed to himself.
Their frenzied steps battered the rooted floors as they escaped the teal-shaded trees, returning to a familiar location far from the furious treant. Thankfully, it stopped its aggression, not because it let them go, but because its traveling speed faltered even compared to his slow jog. He huffed and gasped for air as he leaned on his knees, sweat drenching his forehead after the expenditure of his already depleted stamina. Theron swore he’d never been this hungry before, the discomfort in his stomach had sweltered to stinging pain.
He held a bleak smile, realizing he had almost perished from that lone encounter. Scarlet dews dribbled his bear’s scarred claws, skin and fur ripped apart, bones peering from within. A quick look at its status told the damage it took; half its hp was gone from that onslaught. “Sorry, it’s my fault.” He whispered as he patted its back. Even when he knew his gestures meant nothing, these aspects were, in a way, his companions too.
Now… what do I do? He understood clearly that this area proved too challenging for his current level. Perhaps he’d wait until his bear leveled up a few more times. The extra strength and toughness would allow it to survive the never-ending strikes. Borys being a bear, stealth, and covertness were impossible feats for something its size. Yet still, He briefly considered sneaking about and using his necrotic aura. That idea fizzled when he noted the treant’s insane perception, reacting instantly the moment he stepped close to it from any and all angles.
Theron had to find a way to tackle the treants head-on before considering unlocking the checkpoint. “Let’s head back to the tutorial zone.” He said to no one in particular; starvation stacked atop his frustrations and languor made rational thoughts a rigorous exercise. He loathed to admit it, but to progress further… some level of grinding was required.
###
Clambering with his hands, aided by the bear’s tall figure, he scrabbled to the cliff above, welcoming the swath of green and brown—colors of timber he knew and loved. A sigh of relief washed as he resumed his journey from the river. His bear waddled close behind him, avoiding too much burden on its frontal limbs, all the while watching the expanse of teal to their left. He glanced at its wounds. The once bony flesh had healed enough until its skin began to regenerate, again imparting the pace of the aspect’s recovery.
Once he entered an unfamiliar formation of land, he breached the pillar of trees, hoping to see different things and sufficient foes for quick level-ups. If all aspects acquired an ability at level 3, Borys was only a few panthers away from obtaining one. That, he couldn’t wait.