The dawn's light barely pierced through the dense canopy of the forest. As I slowly regained consciousness, the events of the previous day replayed in my mind like a vivid dream. I looked around and found myself at the edge of the same circle spiral of grass where I had passed out.
Phytomancer - Experience +300
Phytomancer - Level up!
I looked at the system pop up at the edge of my vision and willed it to open.
Class
Phytomancer
Rarity
Uncommon
A master of plant life, able to communicate with and manipulate the flora of the forest for protection, sustenance, and offense.
Abilities
Herbal intuition [2]
* You gain the ability to discern whether a plant is safe to consume.
* Your ability now gives you greater knowledge on specific plants, including its common name and additional properties.
Please pick one ability:
Green Touch - Plants in the immediate vicinity grow slightly faster and healthier due to your presence. This ability can be activated at will.
Spore Cloud - Release a cloud of harmless spores from the ground in a small radius around you, slightly obscuring vision.
I slightly scoffed at my options.
Both of those don’t sound too useful.
“Green Touch” was the ability that I could pick when I first selected this class. Once again I didn’t think that increasing plant growth would bring a considerable advantage to me, considering that I was living in a very dense forest.
I looked through the other option. “Spore Cloud” also didn’t look incredibly powerful, but at least I could think of some short term uses for it. I was also curious to find out what additional properties it would gain if I were to level it up.
I mentally picked “Spore Cloud” and the system updated to reflect my choice.
Abilities
Herbal intuition [2]
* You gain the ability to discern whether a plant is safe to consume.
* Your ability now gives you greater knowledge on specific plants, including its common name and additional properties.
Spore Cloud [1]
* Release a cloud of harmless spores from the ground in a small radius around you, slightly obscuring vision.
Then I looked at my status page.
Name
Juniper
Race
Dragon
Growth
Cub
Body
3
Classes
Level
Reflexes
4
First
Phytomancer
5 (+1)
Cool
1
Second
Explorer
2
Mind
6 (+1)
Third
none
-
Mysticism (racial)
1
Fourth
none
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
-
Another point in Mind, at least that should make today’s practice more bearable.
“How are you feeling?”
The sudden voice behind me prompted me to turn to find Tom on a nearby branch looking down on me.
“Hungry.” I said with a tired tone.
Tom jumped off the branch and pointed me towards a small pile of fruits that I recognized all too well.
I walked over and grimaced at the sight of a bunch of blazeberries that were gathered in front of me.
“I saw you eat a lot of these in the past day, so I went out to get some for you.”
My stomach churned at the thought of consuming even one more, but the idea of rejecting Tom's effort after he had gone out of his way felt too rude.
"Thank you," I managed, my voice laced with feigned enthusiasm. I picked up a berry, examining it as if it held some sort of secret I had missed before. "You really didn't have to do that."
Really, really didn’t.
"But I wanted to. You have to get the energy for today’s training." Tom's eyes gleamed with a mix of pride and concern, completely oblivious to the internal battle raging within me.
With a resigned sigh, I chomped at the first blazeberry and attempted a smile that must have looked more like a grimace, but Tom seemed pleased with himself, turning his attention away to give me some privacy to enjoy my meal.
"Delicious." I lied, the word tasting more bitter than the berries themselves.
“I only ever saw you eat fruits so far, you should try to diversify your diet.” Tom looked back at me with a pensive look, before continuing.
“In fact, I don’t think I have ever seen a dragon eat fruits before.”
I looked up from my berry and grinned.
“Yeah I’m working on it, dad.” I emphasized the last word.
Tom paused, tilting his head slightly, the glow around him flickering as if reflecting his confusion.
“Dad? Did yesterday’s exercise put too much strain on you? Are you sure you’re feeling well?”
I sighed and scoffed.
“Yes I am fiiiine.” I said with a hint of annoyance.
Are all spirits this dense?
I focused on finishing my breakfast without saying another word. After gulping down the last bit of blazeberry, I looked back at the cat that was patiently waiting for me.
"Try to take it slower today." Tom suggested, his voice carrying a hint of caution that hadn't been there before.
"Control is not gained through force but through understanding and patience."
I nodded, the memory of yesterday's near-collapse fresh in my mind. Standing at the edge of the spiral, I took a deep breath and walked back into the middle, where the heart of the forest pulsated beneath my feet.
"Remember." Tom's voice floated through the air.
"Let the energy guide you, not the other way around. You're a conduit, not a dam."
Closing my eyes, I focused on the gentle pull of the forest's life force, the symphony of whispers that had once threatened to drown me now a comforting murmur. I envisioned my mental gate, not as a barrier to be slammed shut, but as a sieve, allowing the energy to flow through me in a controlled stream.
The energy came and I let it in, bit by bit, the whispers becoming words, the words becoming knowledge. I could feel each breath of wind, the hum of the earth below and the rustle of the leaves above.
I felt the pressure on my mind increase as more and more energy flowed through my body. Each attempt to harness the energy ended in frustration. I felt what little control I had over the gate beginning to slip, so I shut it, and with much less effort than the day before I enclosed my mind in its usual barrier.
Phytomancer - Experience +50
"You're improving," I turned to Tom as he assured me after yet another attempt left me panting, the forest's chorus still ringing in my ears. "Don't measure success by the scale of your control but by the depth of your connection. You're learning to listen, and that is the first step to understanding."
I nodded and recollected myself, ready to make another attempt.
The days blurred into one another as I continued my training with Tom. The routine was always the same: attempt to harness the flow of energy, struggle, fail, and try again. Despite the repetition, each session brought its own set of challenges and lessons.
I learned to recognize the subtle shifts in the forest's energy and to feel the flow of life around me with increasing clarity. My attempts to control the flow became less about force and more about harmony, finding the balance between my will and the will of the forest.
However, each time I thought I was making progress, the forest would remind me of my limitations, its energy slipping through my grasp like water, or threatening to make me pass out again. I persisted, knowing that understanding this connection was key to unlocking my potential as a Phytomancer.
The experience I gained was reduced with each attempt until it stopped altogether. I could feel myself growing stronger, but the lack of a breakthrough was turning into frustration. The fear of being overwhelmed never fully disappeared. There were moments when the energy would surge unexpectedly, and I would revert to instinct, shutting it out completely. Thankfully Tom was always there to guide me back with his unwavering patience.
Despite the lack of a breakthrough, I could feel my connection to the forest deepening, and with it, my understanding of my own power. The mental barrier I had erected to protect myself became more flexible, less of a dam and more of a gate, one that I could open and close with greater ease.
I woke up the sixth day after I began my training. As I approached the center of the spiral, I felt the cat’s presence come up behind me.
"You're close," Tom started, watching me with his glowing eyes.
"But I’m afraid this is where we’ll end the first part of our training."
I turned to look at him in disbelief.
“But you just said that I’m close, surely one or two more days and I’ll be able to fully embrace the heart’s energy!”
Tom listened to me, his tail calmly swaying behind him.
“You have made great progress Juniper, but I don’t have much time left. Now that your connection to the forest has greatly improved, you will put it into practice.”
I looked at Tom with a questioning look.
“I thought I was putting it into practice every day since we started training.”
“You have been practicing your control, now it is time to utilize it against an entity that won’t be unresponsive of your actions.”
I mulled over his words.
“In other words, you want me to fight something?”
Tom nodded and continued.
“That is correct. I want you to practice your newfound strength against the emerald pincers. You have fought them a few times already and I am certain they won’t pose too much of a threat to you.”
Emerald pincers? What the hell is he talking about… oh wait.
“You mean the mossy crabs?” I asked the spirit.
“I do not know what a “crab” is, but many of them do possess a substantial amount of moss on their shells.”
I nodded in understanding. After all of my growth, fighting off a few crabs wouldn’t pose a big issue.
“There is one more thing.”
I grimaced as I focused back on the cat.
Here it comes. Knew this wasn’t possibly going to be a walk in the park.
“One or two pincers won’t be enough for your training. You will go to the colony you found in your early explorations and eradicate it.”
As his words slowly sank in, I realized the gravity of what he had just said.
What.
“Surely I misheard you there, Tom. I thought you just said that I will eradicate an entire colony.”
The cat subtly tilted his head.
“You’ve heard me correctly, Juniper.”
“Do you know how many crabs are in that tree? I was there for just a few moments and I saw too many to count!” I said with an incredulous tone.
“Don’t sell yourself short, their nest will make for a perfect training ground for you.” Tom said, nonchalantly.
“Now let’s go, it will take us a while to get there.”
I was absolutely stunned as I looked at him just get up and start quickly making his way into the underbrush.
“Wait, Tom! Let’s talk about this! Are you sure this isn’t a bit excessive?”
No response came from the cat as I stared at the bush where he had disappeared.
“Tom?”
Damn it all, I better not meet my end at the claws of a crab.
I thought as I started chasing after the snarky cat.